


Sweet Like Chocolate

by itswarmerinhell



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Because He Is the Steve Rogers I Claim, Billionaire Steve rogers, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Steve Rogers, Rich Steve Rogers, Romantic Fluff, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Slow Burn, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson Friendship, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Daddy Steve, Sugar Daddy Steve Rogers, Sugardaddy, Sugardaddy Steve Rogers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, alternative universe, chris evans - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:27:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25233883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itswarmerinhell/pseuds/itswarmerinhell
Summary: Steve Rogers is incredibly successful, single and quite possibly one of New York's most eligible bachelors. Unable to willingly offer his time, he signs up to a Sugar Daddy website in the hopes of finding someone to support and spoil.He never thought he would encounter the woman of his dreams on there.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 120





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for checking this out! I haven't written or posted anything anywhere in over 10 years so what better way to wet the whistle then jump into the deep end and churn out a glorious sugardaddy!Steve fic with an original female character. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Buckle up and stay tuned, cause I'm working and studying at the moment but I promise I will try and update as regularly as I can (because seriously, I'm always obsessively checking to see if my favourite stories have updated yet, so I feel the pain!) and if there's anything you want to say to me, feel free to drop me a message!
> 
> With Covid-19, I hope everyone is staying safe. Love you all.

Tabitha looked down at the paper clutched tightly in her hands and sighed. The red, bold letters looked like they were mocking her as they spelt out ‘PAST DUE’. This wasn’t a mistake, she hadn’t forgotten about this bill. Nowadays she couldn’t escape from the thoughts of any of the lines of credit against her name.

“What are you gonna do, Tabs” She muttered to herself as she stuffed the paper into her top drawer to join all the others. “Stopping the one-sided conversations would be a start” 

Tabitha sighed and dramatically fell back onto the small, lumpy sofa that took up centre stage in her living room. This day couldn’t have gotten any worse. First the stray cats had started a yowling marathon outside of her window around 3am, then there was no hot water for her morning shower and to top it all off she had no milk in the fridge, so she’d had to have a black coffee. 

“The most first world of first world problems, Tabby” 

She mumbled to herself as she grabbed her laptop off the lopsided coffee table (free, courtesy of the fly-tippers outside her apartment complex) and fired it up. Time for her favourite pastime, looking at cars she could never afford and apartments she could only inhabit in her wildest dreams. She had a few hours to kill before her shift at Denny’s, anyway.

**

“Hey, Tabitha! There’s someone waiting in the back booth for you? You might as well clock out for the night and get going, I got the napkins covered, hun”

Tabitha looked up from the napkin holder that she was refilling, frowning at her manager, Amy, who was pointing at the booth in the far right of the diner. She grabbed her order pad and a pen just in case it was a customer and walked over to the booth, smiling widely at her friend Lauren who was sat there sipping on a milkshake.

“Lo! I didn’t know you’d be back so soon” Tabitha gushed as she sat down across her friend. “How was Italy?”

“Babe, it was seriously heaven on Earth. I can’t get over it. We travelled around in his yaught. His freaking yaught! All the pictures are on my Go Pro, I’m gonna have to send them to you when I’m home. I even got a tan, but I’m gonna be so sad when this goes. If only we could all be bronze goddesses”

“Oh my god, yes. It sounds so good, you look so nice and tanned!” She reached out and prodded her friend’s arm to emphasize her point, then quickly pulled on a strand of her hair and cackled. “I am so overdue a holiday and crazy jealous. I’d take the pale skin and holidays over all this melanin right now. Remind me again why we can’t all meet rich, single bachelors?”

“This city is swarming with such men” Lauren said with a wide smile and a wiggle of her perfectly manicured eyebrows. “You just need to know where to find them”

Tabitha raised an eyebrow. Her friend had a very mischievous look on her face, and that same look in their childhood meant they would soon be in a whole lot of trouble.  
“I thought you met Paris at the MoMa?”

“Well, yeah” Lauren said in a matter of fact tone as she sipped her milkshake. “That’s where we arranged to meet”

“Lauren May!” Tabitha frowned. “Do not tell me you guys met online! I know it’s 2020 and all but that’s so dangerous!”

“Excuse you, Tabs! I have standards!” Lauren pushed aside the empty milkshake glass. “It was an…arrangement website”

“An arrangement website?” Tabitha hoped her blank expression sent the message of how unimpressed she was.

“Yes, you prude! I’m in a mutually beneficial relationship with a hot as hell shipping heir and it’s all thanks to Sugar Daddy Meet”

“Lauren” Tabitha groaned loudly, scrunching up her nose as she did. ”This is ringing alarm bells”

Lauren smiled at her best friend. “He just paid off my student loan debt this morning”

Tabitha gasped. Lauren had worked so hard on her Veterinary degree in England, then followed that up with a masters in infectious diseases and thus, had gathered up a hefty student finance loan for her oversees studying.

“Lo that’s like 100 grand of debt!”

“I know, Tabs. I got the receipt emailed to me this morning from the student loan office and I almost had an aneurysm”

Tabitha smiled and got up from the booth, dragging her friend up with her and hugging her tightly.

“This is freaking awesome, Lo! I know how worried you were about that debt, and this is great! Let me grab my stuff, we’re gonna go back to mine and grab some Chinese. You gonna stay the weekend?”

“Sure am, Tabs”

Tabitha quickly changed into her favourite tie-dye sundress and grabbed her bag and hoodie from her locker, punched out using the ancient clocking machine by the entrance to the staff room and said goodbye to her manager before meeting Lauren out back. Lauren who was standing by a sleek black BMW.

“You gotta be shitting me” Tabs laughed and ran over to the car, peering down into the sleek interior. “Lo, is this dude a drug lord or something?!”

Lauren held out a single key on a fluffy pink keychain and smirked.

“Like I said, shipping heir. Now come on, dinner’s on me!”

The girls grabbed Chinese food from a local takeaway down the block and an entire ice-cream cake from the Dairy Queen across the road for dessert. They had an impromptu photoshoot featuring the sports car (Tabitha needed a new Instagram photo) and Tabitha made them margaritas when they got back to her apartment. Between dinner and dessert they even found time to apply face masks and facetune the photos from the shoot earlier.

“Lo I missed you” Tabitha said as she sat down on the sofa next to her friend and curled up into her side. “I hate being an adult”

“So, Tabs…” Lauren hugged Tabitha before pushing her head down a little so she could begin braiding her hair. “How’s the debt?”

“Still there. Still crazy numbers” Tabitha groaned at the thought. “I applied to work for Amazon, I can do that between studying and Amy will help me sort my shifts at the diner so I can still help out at the shelter”

“Oh, baby” Lauren tucked the French braid behind Tabitha’s ear. “That’s too much for you. Can’t your dad help? What has he even said about this”

Tabitha sighed and sat up. She grabbed her margarita from the coffee table and downed it in one go.

“Well he hasn’t spoken to me ever since my Evil Queen Stepmother decided he didn’t need to support me. I’m pretty sure he’s blocked my number. Or she has on his behalf”

“He’s an idiot” Lauren muttered. “I can help you, Tabs. Please?”

“How?” Tabitha giggled. “Does Paris have a brother?”

Lauren pulled a sleek tablet out of her handbag and pulled Tabitha close. Tabs looked down at the screen and frowned when she noticed what website Lauren had pulled up.

“No, no. Nononono. No sugar daddy sugar baby business!”

“Yes and yes” Lauren smirked “Yesyesyesyes. What do you even have to lose? Seriously, Tabs. Girls give dudes their all and get nothing but a broken heart in return. Why fuck for heartache when you can fuck, have fun and get financial freedom in return?”

“But…” Tabitha pouted. She knew her friend wasn’t wrong. “They’re old”

Lauren raised an eyebrow and unlocked her phone screen, pointing to the handsome, 34 year old male who was her wallpaper.

“Paris isn’t old, and they’re not all old. Most of these dudes are workaholics with strict soul sucking jobs that allow them to have zero social life, ergo a neat packed girlfriend who knows exactly what to expect from the mutual relationship”

Tabitha leant across the coffee table to grab at Lauren’s margarita and downed that too.

“Make me a profile. Let’s take a damn look. I can’t take any more bills”

“Atta girl! Grab some more drinks, let’s start this questionnaire” 

**

Steve rubbed at his temples and sighed softly, pushing back from the mahogany desk he was sat on as he sorted through the latest figures Bucky had sent over after dinner. The sun was setting and the view from his floor-to-ceiling windows in his penthouse was immaculate. Seeing the sun set over the Hudson River was a sight he would never get tired of seeing.

He padded across the heated floor, from the study to the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge and leaning against the kitchen island as he took a long sip. He was happy in his thoughts and allowed the silence to sooth him until a familiar ping came from his study. It signified a new message on his private emails.

Steve put the half empty bottle down on the counter and sauntered back over to his study, frowning as he sat back down on the executive chair and pulled up his emails. Who would be trying to contact him via email? His friends would phone him directly if they needed him. Steve opened the email and skimmed across the message. 

A few summers ago, after a heavy night of drinks at the annual Stark gala, Steve had admitted to his best friends Sam and Bucky of how lonely he was, and whilst he expected to be met with laughter, he couldn’t believe what they instead admitted to him. That they were both regulars on certain websites and each had a selection of girls (in different States!) that they took care of in exchange for time and companionship.

Naturally, curiosity had gotten the best of Steve and he had signed up to a number of websites that night in a drunken haze only to forget about it all together once he got stuck into a new project at work. Well, he had forgotten about it until now.

The message was a generic automated one, to signify that there was a new match on Sugar Daddy Meet that seemed perfect based on the short, transparent questionnaire Steve had filled in upon sign up.

Once again, curiosity got the best of Steve and he found himself finishing his beer as he read over the profile of one Tabitha Reyes. There was a single photo attached to the profile and Steve liked what he saw. She was brown skinned, with beautiful full lips, soft eyes and curves that were apparent in her tie-dye sundress. She had just finished her degree in Counselling and was volunteering at a local womens shelter. Her profile was short and simple, she was looking for an arrangement that would help her with her growing debts, and in return she was happy to discuss. 

Before he could think twice, Steve sent her a simple message along with a photo of himself that had been taken when he had attended the Oscars in 2019. It was a wild night, and he’d managed to snag an invite solely due to his company providing the security detail for that evening at short notice. 

Sam and Bucky were still jealous.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tabitha finally meet.

_Ladies leave your man at home,  
The club is full of ballers and their pockets full grown,  
And all you fellas leave your girl with her friends  
‘Cause it’s eleven thirty and the club is jumpin, jumpin_

Tabitha groaned and turned off her alarm that was currently blaring Destiny’s Child. It was 8:30am and she could smell pancakes. She loved when Lauren cooked her breakfast.

“Lo, make me some crispy ones!” She called as she went into the bathroom to get ready for the morning. Just a quick shower and skincare routine. Her hair was already laid and she’d skip the teeth whitening this morning because she wanted to eat.

“Tabs, you will never guess what!” As soon as she exited the bathroom in her robe, Lauren grabbed her friend’s arm and pulled her over to the tablet on the kitchen counter. “You got a message around midnight last night from a potential daddy”

Tabitha laughed and took a seat on the bar stool behind the counter. Another fly-tipping find. 

“Potential daddy sounds so weird. Did you read it?”

Lauren smirked and nodded, pouring them both a glass of apple juice and then passing Tabitha a plate of steaming pancakes with crispy edges.

“His name is Steve. He’s 34 and a security consultant for a private firm, most probably his own. Google didn’t have too much to say, just the usual Fortune 500 schpiel. The website matched you both on how similar your questionnaire answers were, and judging from the size of him you’ll definitely want to climb him like a tree”

Tabitha soaked her pancakes in syrup and looked over at the photo of Steve on the tablet. Goddamn, was he a sight for sore eyes. 

“How the hell are these Greek gods single?! Rich and hella sexy, you can’t be serious. He’s definitely into something gross. Like piss on the feet kinda weird”

Lauren pulled a face and set down the apple juice she was about to drink from.

“I don’t want to drink this anymore”

Tabitha laughed and cut into her pancakes without another word. She pulled the tablet closer to where she was sitting and took a look over Steve’s profile. It was pretty simple, there were a few photos of him (Him at what looked like a black tie event, him in casual clothes on a boat, him in a suit…at the Oscars?!) and a few vague lines about what he did for a living and why he was on the website. Next to allowance he simply put ‘more than generous. To be discussed’ and in that moment all Tabitha could dream of was never seeing an overdue bill again. 

“So” Lauren pressed as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “Are you gonna message him back?”

Tabitha clicked on the envelope icon on the top right of the page and took a look at the message Steve had sent her just after midnight.

**Hello Tabitha. My name is Steve and I’ve been alerted that we could be a potential match on this website. I would love to take you to dinner this Friday and see just how true that could be. I apologise, I have a very busy schedule, but I would appreciate if you could let me know by latest Tuesday evening. Thank you, sweetheart. -Steve**

Tabitha looked up at Lauren.

“Why does this message seem so normal?”

“Ugh, you dweeb!” Lauren batted at Tabitha’s arm and grabbed the tablet. Talking loudly as she typed. “Hi Steve, that would be great. I’ve been living off 20 cent ramen noodles and the occasional takeaway so a real hot meal sounds great. How about we skip dessert and go back to yours for something sweet? XOXO, Tabs”

“LAUREN MAY!” Tabitha jumped off the barstool and grabbed the tablet back, quickly deleting what her best friend had begun to type.

“Hi Steve, that sounds really nice. I am free on Friday, anytime from 7pm. I would appreciate somewhere public, especially for a first meeting. Looking forward to hearing from you. That’s fine, right?" 

Lauren groaned. “Looking forward to hearing from you?! Like this is a corporate email”

Tabitha smacked Lauren’s arm and took a seat on the sofa.

“Shut up, you’re the dweeb, now come on and let’s go for a walk”

**

**Hi Steve, that sounds really nice. I am free on Friday, anytime from 7pm. I would appreciate somewhere public, especially for a first meeting. Looking forward to hearing from you.**

Steve looked at the message and smiled. He didn’t know why but it sounded so sweet and genuine that he almost forgot about the arrangement for the moment. He opened up his work emails and diary and blocked out Friday evening before quickly sending his assistant a message and asking for private dining reservations to be made at Eleven Madison Park along with transportation. It was a beautiful, upscale restaurant owned by a clients friend and the tasting menu paired with the laid back atmosphere would hopefully make for a great initial meeting. 

**Hi Tabitha, Thank you for letting me know. I’ve put the date in my diary and I’ve asked my assistant to make reservations at a restaurant in Sony Square for us at 8:30. I’d like to send you a chauffeur but I understand you probably won’t be happy to give me your address so instead I’ll pre-pay for a taxi and all you need to do is call and arrange the transportation with them. I’ll share those details closer to the time. Until then, take care. -Steve**

*

The week passed by in a blur of empowerment sessions with women currently staying in the shelter and night shifts at the Denny’s serving cup after cup of coffee to the theatre kids performing every night and before Tabitha knew it she was getting ready for her ‘date’ with Steve and facetiming Lauren (who was in Thailand, in a resort with her own infinity pool) to quell the sudden nerves.

She had decided on a simple black ruched halter neck dress for the evening, along with chunky platform block heels and the only jewellery she owned, her late mother’s diamond necklace and earrings. The same ones she was wearing on her profile picture Steve had seen, and she really hoped he wouldn’t notice or comment. Her hair was in loose curls, natural and soft. She could just about straighten her hair, Lauren was the one who was good with using the curling iron.

“Okay so just some false lashes and lip gloss?” Tabitha preferred to be bare faced and natural most of the time, because she had no time to get ready and also because her dad had invested heavily in the best skincare treatments for her as she battled acne in her teens so she loved her skin and wanted to let it breathe at every possible moment. Every now and again, she did like to go full glam though, but who didn’t. “Is this good? I’m nervous!”

Tabitha took a step back so her entire outfit was displayed on the screen and smiled as Lauren whistled and fanned herself.

“You look sexy as hell, Tabs, no need to be nervous” Lauren waved a cocktail around. “Remember to be safe and alert, okay? No leaving your drink unattended”

“It’s just dinner” Tabitha fluffed up her hair and applied the false eyelashes one by one along with another coat of lipgloss which she then put into her small gold clutch. “But you know I’ll stay safe, Lo. Text you when I’m home, okay? Love you”

“Love you Tabby! HAVE FUN!”

Tabitha cut off the call and then put the phone into her bag as well as her keys. She popped a mint into her mouth and turned off all the lights in the apartment before heading downstairs to the awaiting limousine.

**

Steve looked down at the ridiculously overpriced Chopard watch on his wrist and took a seat in the private booth at the back section of the restaurant. It was just after 8:30 and the waiting staff had alerted him that his date had arrived. He had asked for a bottle of Dom Perignon to be sent to the table too and poured some into his own glass flute in anticipation.

“Sir”

Steve looked up and nodded at the young waiter who moved aside as soon as Tabitha came into view. She was just as beautiful as her photo and smelt delectably sweet. Steve motioned for the waiter to leave and stood up, smiling widely at the young girl just out of his reach.

“Tabitha, you look beautiful” Steve extended his hand to hold hers and kissed the top of it, smirking as the young woman blushed. “Thank you for coming”

“Hi, t-thank you” 

Tabitha smiled and took a seat as Steve pulled out her chair. She was feeling less nervous thanks to the fully stocked minibar in the back of the limousine and was thankful she had taken the double shot of Vodka to quell her nerves.

Steve took a seat and motioned to pour Tabitha some of the champagne. She eagerly accepted and took small sips as Steve took off his blazer and hung it behind his seat.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted dinner to be an eight course tasting menu. It’s all small, light bites from the head Chef and I’ve reserved this section for our private dining experience tonight so we can get to know one another”

Tabitha nodded and took another sip from the glass flute. It tasted like the good stuff, and judging from the heavy looking bottle sat in the ice bucket beside the table it must have been.

“So” Steve started warmly. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?”

“My name is Tabitha, and I’m 22. Only child, pretty much self-sufficient. Before the summer I finished up my degree in counselling and I’ve been working to support myself. In a diner, and I also volunteer at a womens shelter which goes hand in hand with the counselling. I get to use the hours towards my training and learn at the same time” Tabitha cleared her throat and took another larger sip. “I, uhm, I’ve never done something like this before”

Steve nodded and smiled reassuringly.

“Me neither, sweetheart”

The first four courses arrived soon after and the waiter explained what was served before departing. The champagne in her system relaxed her, and Tabitha found herself steering the conversation away from herself and onto Steve.

“Steve, can you tell me about yourself?”

“Of course I can. I’m 34 and I own my own security company, we mainly deal with a lot of high commodity clientele and my job has ruled over me since the day I first started working for myself” Steve took a bite of the starter and pushed the plate across the table for Tabitha to also try some. “Truly, I don’t have time for a traditional relationship and it never used to bother me but lately I find the lonely nights are starting to get to me. I just know I like to take care of those around me, it’s almost like a magnetic pull, a need to help. That’s why I think this will be beneficial for us both”

Steve cleared his throat and took a swig of champagne.

“When I say I like to take care of those around me, I mean it” Steve’s eyes darkened as he took in the sight of the gorgeous woman sat across from him. “If we chose to enter a mutually beneficial relationship, as long as you abide by the rules set out beforehand, I will make all your dreams come true. I simply ask my rules are obeyed”

Tabitha took another bite of the starter. It was delicious, was that lobster puree?

“And these rules, what are they?”

Steve smiled.

“I would ask you to accompany me to certain events and when I have to travel abroad I would like for you to join me. You would exclusively be monogamous and mine. I would also prefer if you stayed in my penthouse as I do spend the majority of my time in New York, but this can be discussed in depth” Steve leant back in his chair. “In return, I would offer to pay your expenses and student loans. Completely. Any debts, too. I would offer you a generous allowance every week as well as access to my black cards for whatever your heart desires. I have plenty of cars, and you access whichever. The longer we are together, the bigger the payout, and of course if there’s any termination there would be a sizeable figure to cushion your fall”

Tabitha blinked slowly and pinched her thigh under the table. He must have definitely been into something weird.

“And…the sex?” She whispered.

Steve tipped his head back and let out a short laugh, smiling down at Tabitha.

“I would very much like to explore every inch of your beautiful body if you would let me, sweetheart, but I will not force you. The terms are whatever you would set, and I can ask my lawyer to draft up an agreement based on that” 

Tabitha nodded and ate the rest of her meal in silence as she mulled over what Steve had said. They both drunk more champagne as they shared the remaining 4 courses of the meal and Tabitha found herself feeling relieved. Her life would be so much easier without the debt and pest infected apartment. She had seen how happy Lauren was, and she wanted the same for herself. Steve seemed nice and genuine, too. Conversation with him was easy and he was laid back and suave. Tabs could find a lot worse to spend her time with.

“So…I set the terms?”

“Yes, sweetheart. We can go through a checklist of things you are okay with and things you aren’t, and then my lawyer can draft up an iron clad agreement between the two of us. How does this sound?”

Tabitha looked up at the handsome man across from her and bit her lip. Only a plum fool would pass up an opportunity like this, and not just the money, but the chance to sleep with quite possibly the most attractive living, breathing statue of David. He’d probably hold her down and fuck her face if she asked nicely. Just the thought made her heart rate increase.

“Yes, Steve. This sounds great”

Steve smirked and leant across the table, grasping the girls smaller hands in his own as he squeezed softly. He put thick wad of folded cash into the small leather booklet the waiter had left on the end of the table and stood up, shucking on his blazer and holding his hand out for Tabitha who surprisingly took it eagerly.

“Let me accompany you back to your ride. Are you free for brunch this Tuesday? If we get the arrangement sorted by this weekend I can get the contracts on Tuesday”

“Geez, you sure are efficient” Tabitha looked up at Steve with wide eyes. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry!”

Steve rolled his eyes and smiled playfully. 

“You’re already teasing me about my ways, I see. I think this is going to be good for us both”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's chapter 2 for you all! I'm working on chapter 3 now, and I hope to have it for you soon.
> 
> Thank you for all your support, please drop me a comment to let me know how you're liking it so far!
> 
> For reference, here's how I envision the OFC to look like, and here's Mr Evans in that glorious satin suit at the Oscars last year.
> 
> https://imgur.com/2xqy6Cr
> 
> https://imgur.com/89RzjL0


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tabitha discuss the mutually beneficial relationship further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the hits and kudos. 3 chapters in 1 day and I only first published this morning. Thank you all, I'm getting my confidence back!
> 
> Hoping everyone is continuing to be safe. Is anyone still quarantining?

On Saturday morning, Steve had emailed Tabitha a checklist, a ‘sexual interest inventory’ he had called it, and it contained everything from manual sex, oral sex and sex play with three options, yes, no or maybe. Tabitha looked through the list with ease and found that she had nearly selected yes for everything. There was no weird fetishes or requests, just the usual sexual positions and giving and receiving oral, position experimentation, different rooms and locations and even shower sex. She had a feeling Steve had a huge bathroom, so she was more than interested in the prospect of sex in a huge shower with her Adonis. 

Tabitha spent the weekend pinching herself repeatedly until she was at the point where bruises could potentially form and only then did she stop. She couldn’t get over everything Steve had promised her during their initial meeting and whilst she wanted to be sceptical of his good nature, she couldn’t find a single fault. All the Google searches did nothing but prove that Steve was a hardworking, honest man and incredibly humanitarian if his multiple trips to war-torn countries providing relief was anything to go by.

On Tuesday morning more bills arrived, along with a bright yellow note stating Tabitha had 30 days to pay her past-due rent or vacate the premises and for once she didn’t care. She pushed the bills aside, slipped on her heeled boots and left the apartment to head over to the address Steve had sent her over the weekend. 

Google Maps showed it was a massive luxury condominium in Chelsea Village with eye-watering price tags for the lower level condos. There definitely had to be more than one door man, Steve probably had his own elevator to the top floor. It was _fancy_ fancy.

*

Every now and again Steve found himself hating the life he had created for himself. Sure, the abundance of money was great as were the benefits that came with it, but times like this, when he was hunched over paperwork, his phone vibrating constantly to alert him of new messages and his back sore from the terrible posture he had been keeping for over four hours, he regretted his choices.

The problem he had at the current moment was trying to arrange a 4 year contract with a prospective client. They wanted an over-the-top private security detail to accompany their daughter to University in Southern California and the only stipulation was that they wanted a female only. 

Steve wanted to ask Nat, a good friend of his and ex-government worker, she was more than qualified to take on the position. The only problem was she was currently on a job and it would be unprofessional to cut that contract short to start another. Sometimes Steve hated being the only one who could make the final decision. He also hated letting people down. Curse his good heart.

He pushed back from the desk and sighed, running his fingers through his hair as he did. This had been on his mind since he woke up at 4. It stayed on his mind during his 6 mile run, post-run shower and then over breakfast. He grabbed his phone and sent a brief text to Sam asking for help before going over to the intercom that was buzzing beside the front door.

“Mr Rogers! Ben from Reception here. Hoping I have not interrupted you, Sir. I have a Tabitha Reyes here to see you. She’s not on the list?”

Oh, _shit_.

Steve groaned and looked at his watch. It had slipped his mind that he had arranged a brunch date with his delectable sugar baby to be and he must have forgone adding the date into his diary. He had other things on his mind after the date, things that involved him and Tabitha. Most notably in his bed or shower.

“Send her up, Ben, and put her name on the list. She is to have access whenever”

“Yes, sir”

Steve sent his assistant a message stating he was busy, powered down his computer and grabbed the folder of restaurant menus from his kitchen. He stopped at the long mirror beside the front door and made sure he was acceptable. His hair was a little ruffled, and he was in a pair of soft black chinos and a plain white t-shirt, but nevertheless he still looked fine. Not as presentable or sharp as he did usually, but after all the stress of the day the last thing he wanted was to put on a 3-piece suit.

The elevator pinged and opened, signalling his date had arrived, and she looked just as beautiful as she did during their first encounter. She was dressed casually, in a fluffy thick white jumper, blue jeans and a pair of heeled boots. Her curves were still apparent in her casual getup and her hair was tied back in a bouncy ponytail. She smiled widely when she saw Steve, offering him a wave as she stepped closer and looked around the entryway.

“Woow, Steve” Tabitha smiled widely and looked at the paintings adorning the walls before moving through the living room over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. “This is insane”

She turned around from the window, staring at Steve for a moment before she hugged him. Best to just get the awkwardness from first touches out of the way, especially as this behemoth of a man would potentially be regularly screwing her into his mattress.

Steve wrapped his arms around her small waist and held her close to his body for a moment. He couldn’t remember the last time he had just held someone. In fact, he didn’t think he had ever had any female company over to his Penthouse to do so.

“Hello, sweetheart” Steve rumbled as he looked down at Tabitha, all the stress from the morning seemingly melted away. Tabitha was tiny, and her lack of high heels emphasised this. “Did you have to wait downstairs for long?”

“Huh, oh no. I just gave my license and was up in a few minutes”

Steve nodded and pulled away, linking hands with Tabitha before taking her over to his drinks fridge. She grabbed a bottle of water and popped the cap, taking a long sip.

“Wait, you have a license? I’ve never met anyone in New York that drove you know, other than me and my friends”

Tabitha snorted and closed the cap of the bottle before putting it on the kitchen counter.

“My mum, she’s British. My parents divorced when I was really young and I split my time between here and there, so of course when I turned 17 she arranged for me to learn how to drive” Tabitha looked up at Steve, a small smile on her face. “I can drive stick and everything”

Steve coughed loudly and looked down at Tabitha. She was smirking up at him innocently. Oh this girl would surely be the death of him.

“Do you go visit her in England regularly?”

Tabitha stopped smirking and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“She died, a few years ago. I haven’t gone back since the funeral”

Steve pulled her close once again and pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I lost my mom a long time ago and it never, ever gets any easier”

Steve pressed another kiss to her forehead and then took a step back, cupping her face as he stoked one finger down her soft cheek.

“I unintentionally forgot about the brunch date, and I’m sorry, sweetheart. Work has been testing me recently”

“It’s fine, Steve!” Tabitha smiled and nodded, taking a seat on the plush sofa as Steve started the fireplace and sat down beside her. “Really, we’re just having some brunch right? No need for stuffy dates?”

Steve nodded and leant back on the sofa, holding his arms out so Tabitha would come towards him. He scooped her up when she did move closer and laughed loudly as she squaked whilst he pulled her closer to his chest.

“We can order whatever you want, baby. Pull up Uber Eats or there’s a stack of menus in that folder on the coffee table” 

Steve pressed another kiss to her forehead. If just kissing her forehead left him this intoxicated, he wondered what a make out session would do to him. He was excited to find out.

They settled on Italian and according to Tabitha, pizza was a suitable food to be eaten whenever, especially at brunch. Steve took her hand and showed her around his home, smiling as she ooh’d and aah’d at the decorative items he had littered around. Most were from his travels and charity functions, he was a sucker for fine art that profited those less fortunate. 

“You’re seriously not real, there’s no way you’re a normal functioning member of society. Like I’m sorry, Stevie, but you look like a Greek god, have the heart of a Labrador puppy and yet you’re single?!” Tabitha took a sip of Steve’s beer and grimaced, it tasted expensive but beer was beer and she didn’t care too much for it. ”Is this the part where you show me your webbed toes and the hoard of heart broken exes holding up ‘I HATE YOU’ signs?”

Steve tipped his head back and laughed loudly before looking over at Tabitha. They were sat on his rooftop terrace lounging on the outdoor swing seat, a box of half empty pizza and garlic knots balanced on the table between them.

“I can assure you, baby, that I have neither webbed feet nor a secret Steve-haters club. At least I hope I don’t”

Tabitha looked up at Steve and smiled. He looked so adorable that she couldn’t help but press a quick kiss to his soft lips. She blushed and grabbed her drink, taking a long swig and avoiding having to talk for the moment. Being with Steve was easy if the past two dates were anything to go by, and she had to keep reminding herself that this was an arrangement.

“Sweetheart” Steve tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and smiled. “How about we go inside and discuss our checklists?”

Tabitha nodded and got up. She didn’t feel nervous, the slow sips of Steve’s terrible beer had helped quell any nerves. She grabbed the pizza boxes and put them on the kitchen counter and waited as Steve came along with his laptop and some papers. He had printed out both of their ticked checklists and they were highlighted all over. Tabitha raised an eyebrow, their sexual preferences were totalling compatible if the highlight all over the page was anything to go by.

Steve blushed briefly, rubbing at the back of his neck as he set the laptop and papers down.

“I’m sorry, if this is too much. I just want to make sure we are on the same page”

Tabitha nodded and took a seat on the bar stool. Steve sat across her and smiled widely.

“There’s honestly nothing on the checklists that we are on odd ends about” Steve started as he passed a stapled contract over to Tabitha. “So I asked my lawyer to draft up an agreement. It’s a basic contract, it states what I would expect from his relationship and what I will offer you. This includes an allowance, use of my credit cards and vehicles. Like I said on Friday I would like for you to stay with me, but if you would rather not we can look for nearby apartments for you, and the rent will be taken care of. I want you to accompany me to all the stuffy dinners, charity luncheons…and my employees birthday parties. Those are great, everyone who works for me gets a birthday party and a pinata. Nothing funnier than a 350 pound bodyguard blindfolded and bashing at a kids character full of candy. Also, for every year we are together I will deposit an additional one hundred thousand dollars into your account. Should the relationship fall apart at any time, I will give you five hundred thousand dollars as a one time payment”

Steve looked up when he noticed Tabitha was silent and frowned. She was staring at him like he was a ghost. He raised an eyebrow and turned around just in case there was a gunman lurking behind him, but he saw nothing.

“Tabitha, sweetheart, are you okay?”

“How goddamn rich are you?!” Tabitha blurted, waving her hands around as she tried to make sense of what Steve had just told her. She was pretty sure her brain was broken. “An allowance, and somewhere to live, a-and money on top?! And then money if things don’t work out?!”

“Yes, it’s not a big deal” Steve shrugged and smirked. “Plus I’ll pay off your debt, any debt, student and credit card loans. Don’t forget that. I want to take care of you, okay? I take care of everyone around me and I do it because I want too”

Tabitha took a seat and really stared at Steve for a few moments.

“You definitely have webbed feet. Webbed feet and a room full of your webbed feet offspring that have never seen the light of day”

Steve laughed again and stood up, pulling Tabitha into his arms once again. She would bring joy into his life, joy that hadn’t returned since his mother passed away. He was excited.

It took a few hours to go through the contract fully and what was expected so the pair ordered French cuisine from the Bistro down the block and at 6pm, Tabitha parted with a soft kiss and a signed contract under her arm. 

She was a sugar baby now.

**Steve Rogers sugar baby.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My vision of Steve's beautiful penthouse can be found following this link:
> 
> https://www.luxuryestate.com/p27409041-property-for-sale-chelsea-village-nyc-new-york?utm_medium=aggregatori&utm_source=trovit
> 
> The approximate floorplan is here:
> 
> https://imgur.com/GgPxrYL


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve helps his sugar baby move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience in waiting for this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

The next morning Tabitha awoke and checked her phone only to realise she didn’t have Steve’s phone number. She rectified this immediately after finding Steve on Instagram (sgrantrogers, what an old man username and his only friend was his company!) and sending him a message. She received no response, he probably didn’t check it regularly, but around lunchtime there was a new email from Steve, with his address and phone number, office address and personal line, two work email addresses and his assistants details. 

Tabitha, in turn, sent him a text message with her address and a photo of her after she showered, wrapped up tight in a small white towel. The return message was a link to a website selling ridiculously overpriced and very fluffy looking towels with Steve’s account already logged in.

She was impressed, Steve seemed to be equally organised in and out of work.

The rest of the week was uneventful and passed by with ease. From Thursday to Saturday, Tabitha had managed to keep herself busy. She handed in her notice at the Denny’s and told her landlord she would be moving out once the month was up. He might have been a grumpy old man, but Mr Gustavez had always let Tabitha slide on the rent as far as possible, so she included an extra month’s rent in the final payment. It wasn’t like she was strapped for cash at the moment.

Tabitha had even been able to use some of the free time to volunteer some more hours at the shelter which boosted her morale and before she knew it, two weeks had passed and quickly it became three since the pair had their initial encounter. In this time between there had been dinner dates at Michelin starred restaurants and more than one private dessert booking at Serendipity 3, daytime trips to the movies during Steve’s long lunchbreaks (because he was an old man at heart, Tabs running joke was that he deserved the Senior discount at least) and even two private shopping trips to the flagship Nordstrom store as well as an evening visit to Cartier. 

Tabitha wasn’t aware that you could book out an entire store to shop, but apparently Steve’s money meant there were no such rules.

Before she knew it, four weeks had passed and Tabitha found herself packing up the few possessions in her studio apartment. The past week, Steve had been equally as busy, only answering his phone once, not that she had called more than once a day, to ask for Tabitha’s help in picking out what tie he should wear for his ‘very important’ meeting. He kept apologising, but Tabs didn’t really mind. Her dad had worked his whole life and albeit not being as ridiculously rich as Steve, he had near enough the same work ethic. Long days and clipped greetings whenever there was time, this was familiar and Tabitha would rectify this. 

She was a girl with some kind of plan and once she lived with Steve, she could make a start on giving him some free time. Somehow. Whatever the plan was, it would have to involve some sort of sex because after a month of soft kisses and hand holding (not even a brush against her chest or ass!) she was starting to reach her limit. He couldn’t just take care of her wellbeing and not fuck her senseless all over every inch of his apartment. No way. Lauren had even agreed when Tabitha had last spoken to her. She was in Gstaad, naturally.

On Saturday, just after midday Steve called to alert Tabitha that he was on his way over and so were the movers. She just about had enough time to take a shower, slick back her hair and throw on a baby blue velour tracksuit. 

Steve arrived to the apartment with two burly men who began taking the boxes littered around the space down to a moving van. Tabitha didn’t have too much to take in terms of furniture, Steve’s penthouse was fully furnished and she thought he would take offense if she offered the lumpy sofa and crooked coffee table. She had a box of random knick-knacks that she could have sorted through but it was easier to just shove it all into a box and a box of bakeware she had inherited from her late mother. Pots, frying pans, cake tins and gaudy servingware from the 80’s that she just couldn’t part with. There was also box and after box of shoes and clothes…you could say Tabitha had a spending problem in her late teens, before she realised she had sole responsibility of taking care of herself. The silver lining was that the abundance of clothes and shoes still fit, so she wasn’t hurting for clothing even if they wasn’t the newest.

Steve walked around the small space and Tabitha watched him as he did, noting he looked so incredibly out of place with his perfectly tailored suit and Saint Laurent shoes. Steve caught her eye and smiled widely, bringing her close with ease.

“You know I grew up in Brooklyn” He dropped a kiss against her forehead and rubbed his lips together. There was something slightly sticky on his lips, possibly she had something applied to her hair. He made a mental note to ask her what it was later, because it smelt fruity. “My mom passed when I was 16, and it was difficult to maintain the place myself. I had my uncle’s help, but he was a depressed man and couldn’t be much help. I had roommates, but they were crazy, real crazy. So I had to get rid of the place and move into somewhere kinda like here, but half of the size. I was a lot smaller then, but I still remember feeling too big for that place”

Tabitha looked up at Steve and smiled softly. He had a crease in between his eyebrows like he was thinking but there was a small smile on his face.

“My mom’s old building, I bought it back. It was the first thing I bought” Steve smiled and pulled out his phone, showing Tabitha the before and after images. “I gutted it out, made the whole place so much nicer and bigger. Accessible housing and fair pricing for the young adults caught at the end of foster care”

Tabitha smiled widely and took the phone, cradling it in her hands as she swiped through all the photos. 

“You got a good heart, anyone ever told you that?” She murmured as she looked at the last photo. A group of teenagers, smiling widely in front of the updated apartment block all gathered around Steve who was holding up a photo and beaming at the camera. A photo of a woman with blonde curls and kind blue eyes, the same eyes as Steve. “You look like your mum”

“Sarah Rogers” Steve smiled sadly. He was sure he longed for his mom as much as Tabitha did. “Sarah Beth, actually”

A knock on the door brought the pair back to the moment, one of the two men was stood at the door ticking off a checklist.

“Got it all, boss. Happy for us to go?”

Steve looked down at Tabitha, who in turn took one final look around the apartment, checking all the cupboards and cabinets to make sure everything that needed to go was gone.

“Look’s fine to me, thank you” 

Tabitha smiled at the man and slipped on her shoes before leaving her apartment key on the kitchen counter.

“Alright, Hugo, please take that back to mine. Use the service elevator and leave the boxes there. It’s not much, I can take it from there”

The man nodded, passing Tabitha the clipboard for signature before leaving. Tabitha smiled at Steve before frowning. Steve raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Sarah Beth. The Sarah Beth Project…is that you?!” Tabitha motioned for Steve to lower his head so she could wrap her arms around his shoulders. She squeaked loudly as he wrapped his hands around her thighs and hoisted her upwards. He was blushing beet red all the way down to his neck.

“Yeah, that’s me, or, us. My best friend since I was a kid, Bucky. James. James and I. How’d you know about that?”

“Some of the women in the shelter, their kids are involved. They love it Steve, it’s like a parental unit whilst they themselves can’t be there and it helps them want to work on themselves, so they can take up that responsibility again” Tabitha cleared her throat. Steve was looking at her like she had grown a second head. “Sorry, you’re looking at me like I’ve grown another head but you’re the one out here thinking of kids growing out of the foster care system. Someone’s gotta look out for them, Stevie!”

Steve squeezed Tabitha’s thighs and surged forward for a chaste kiss, nipping lightly on her full lower lip before putting her down.

“No, that’s great. I’m sorry, I was just taking in what you said. I didn’t realise. I just thought, it’s someone helping them…I didn’t realise this whole aspect, so thank you. Really, thank you. Sometimes, well most of the time, I just do things cause it’s right and I don’t think twice”

Tabitha smiled sweetly and took a hold of Steve’s hand, pulling him towards the front door.

“Come on, tell me more about how you’re a great human being and how I pale in comparison over some paletas. There’s this Mexican dessert place that looks good like 10 minutes from yours. I’ve been stalking their business over Instagram since the last month”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Mexican dessert place I referenced at the end is a real place called La Newyorkina, and it looks awesome.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sweet domestic moment or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in posting this, and thanks for your patience!

The first night of the living arrangement had gone…terribly. Tabs wasn’t used to such a hulking great big man in an oversized bed with her, and Steve just wasn’t used to anyone in his bed. One-night stands were not meant to sleepover. Sometime just after 3am they had managed to find suitable sleeping arrangements, with Tabitha being the little spoon but maintaining a little distance so they could both stretch out and avoid flailing limbs. It was good until Steve’s alarm clock went off 2 hours later and Tabitha thought she was going to be featured on an episode of Snapped. She did not enjoy being woken up, especially when she barely got any sleep. Steve was sure to never set his alarm so loud again. Habit, he had assured her, laughing as she launched herself at him in a half-sleep daze.

The morning had been equally as awkward until Tabitha realised there were about 4 other bathrooms she could use, and she didn’t have to loiter around the hallway whilst Steve started his morning. She naturally picked the one furthest away from where any living would be and somehow during the course of the day the bedroom next to it had slowly turned into her wardrobe. 

Steve had been a sweetheart and carried all her boxes along, so Tabitha thought it was only fair to cook the poor man some breakfast. It wasn’t because she wanted to use his ridiculously huge and shiny chefs’ kitchen, nope, it was for Steve. A growing man needed to eat, after all. 

Her mother’s pots and pans looked so out of place in the kitchen but it made her feel soft anf fuzzy on the inside because it was familiar. After poking about the pantry and fridge, Tabitha gathered what she would need for a croissant bake. Eggs, fresh croissants, milk , brown sugar, lemon jam and blueberries. 

The bowls and spatulas were easily found, and the oven had way too many buttons but after a helpful Google search, Tabitha managed to get it preheated and set out on soaking the croissants in the sweet custardy mixture made from the eggs and milk. She would then put some spoons of the lemon jam on top and scatter blueberries and sugar over. This was her favourite breakfast, but without an oven in her stuffy apartment she had been apart from it for too long.

After arranging the dish in a large Le Creuset dutch oven (because of course, why wouldn’t Steve have a $500 pan) and setting it into the oven, Tabitha set a timer on her phone and tidied up, placing the used dishes and utensils in the dishwasher and disinfecting the counter. Steve probably had a housekeeper, but she wasn’t a slob.

“I don’t think I’ve ever smelt something so good coming out of my kitchen” Steve had the last box in his hands, and he set it in the spare room before entering the kitchen and peering into the oven. Tabs made a sad noise and shooed him away.

“You can’t open the oven, it’s gonna sink in the middle!” She huffed. “Baking is delicate and should be treated as such!”

Steve smiled and held up his hands in surrender, taking a big step back in show.

“You pretend you’re a nice man, Rogers, but here you are attempting to sabotage my homemade custard croissant bakes”

“Is that what it is?” Steve’s smile grew even larger and he shuffled back into the kitchen, ignoring the dirt currently being thrown on his name. “That sounds delicious. I can smell lemon, and I saw something purple on the top. When will it be done?”

Tabitha smiled and ushered him out of the kitchen. He was such a giant nerd dorkling sex god and that reminded her that she was definitely going to get some tonight. Last night was too awkward and tonight would not be the same. She took him across to the bedroom and patted his rear, laughing as he blushed and turned to look at her.

“It will be done when it’s done, why don’t you go exercise? I feel like that’s what you do. Of course it’s what you do” She squeezed his biceps as if to prove her point. “Is there a gym? Not that I bother…sometimes I do, I like to walk but I usually just walk outside. I feel like a creep though, I always wanted a dog so I wouldn’t look creepy but it’s like do I have the time and space? Nope”

Steve looked down at Tabitha and smiled. He’d noticed that whenever she was happy and content, she would begin to ramble on just like she was doing now. It was endearing, and far sweeter than the unfortunate woman he had woken up this morning. She was happy, and had made him breakfast. Steve was slightly ashamed to admit nobody had baked him anything since his mom had passed, so he kept that secret to himself and leant down to press a kiss against the tip of Tabitha’s button nose before capturing her mouth. She melted immediately against him, and he preened at the thought of her beautiful, soft body pressed against him. 

Her hands went up to pet at his shoulders and he closed into her further, pressing her against the bedroom wall with one firm thigh whilst the other took both of her hands and lifted them up and above her head. He moved to kiss on her cheek, across her ear and down to her neck. Tabitha moaned softly and shut her eyes, relaxing her body and allowing Steve to feel how pliant and willing she was for him.

The loud beeping split them apart and Tabitha frowned in the direction of the kitchen. Steve laughed warmly and pressed a kiss to her forehead before grabbing a towel and heading into the bathroom. He had to deal with himself before he could do anything, let alone exercise.

Tabitha stalked over to the oven and turned the temperature down before setting another timer. The breakfast would need to bake for another half hour which gave her enough time to do a load of laundry and unpack her toiletries in the bathroom. 

Apart from the terrible first night together, the morning had been far better and she liked just how quickly she had settled into domesticity with Steve. Tabitha hummed to herself as she grabbed her laundry and then set out to look for the machine. She must have circled the apartment a few times and still couldn’t locate the laundry facilities so she knocked on the bathroom door and waited for Steve to answer.

“Steve, where is the laundry machine!”

Tabitha put down the laundry basked and pressed her ear to the door, waiting for the water to stop running so signal Steve had heard her.

“Huh?”

She groaned and cupped her hand against the door, yelling again. There was silence for a few moments and then the door swung open. Steam pillowed out of the door as Steve secured the towel around his waist.

“There’s no machine, there’s a private chute for me” Steve pecked Tabitha on the lips and walked past her, oblivious to the young woman eyeing him up like a hungry lion gazing at a piece of meat. ”It’s by the intercom, near the front door. Drop the clothes down there and housekeeping will bring them up when laundered. Ring down to Reception if you need the clothes urgently within the hour, otherwise they’re usually ready the next morning”

Tabitha gave Steve one more good ogling (saving several of the mental images for good measure, too) and then picked the laundry basket up again before walking towards the front door and elevator. 

Of course Steve had a private laundry chute. There was probably an entire team of housekeeping staff waiting around for Steve and his ridiculous billionaire requests. On second thought, the staff were probably his webbed hermit offspring. Billionaires had to cut costs, too. Sooner or later Steve would have to admit he had them. The man couldn’t lie forever.

“You’re staring at my laundry chute like you’re willing it to combust” Steve finished towel drying his hair and then sent the dirty towel down the chute. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“Penny?! Nuh-uh moneybags” Tabitha smiled widely and began giggling. “I was thinking about your webbed foot hermit offspring”

“Oh so now they’re hermits?”

“Yep” Tabitha went back to the kitchen and adjusted the oven temperature, setting it higher. “They’re hermits and they’re waiting to do all your laundry”

“Imagine if someone was listening into this conversation. I would probably get investigated by the FBI. My name would be tarred and ruined”

“You sullied your own name the day you opened the door on a custard bake, you heathen!”

Tabitha stood still and watched as Steve gave her an innocent smile as he approached the oven. His hand reached out very slowly, as if to make a show of the oven door he was about to open, although before he could get there a silicone spatula was flying down onto his hand.

“Steve I swear to god if you don’t go away I’m gonna call the tabloids and tell them about your webbed slave hermit children myself”

“Oh, now they’re slaves?”

Tabitha pouted and motioned to slap Steve’s hand again with the spatula.

“Shut up, you get my point. I’m not even gonna give you one of the crispy corners of the bake. You can eat the middle”

It was Steve’s turn to pout now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments. I'm happy you are enjoying my writing and I appreciate that I can share it with you all. Enjoy!

One week into moving in, Tabitha truly realised the extent of how hard Steve worked. The man was constantly at work, and when he wasn’t in his actual office, he was in his home office. Typing away on his laptop, answering late night and early morning calls from a man called Bucky (Bucky always teased Steve, he sounded fun. Tabs had no clue that old man Steve even knew the meaning of fun) or mulling over spreadsheets filled with numbers with the same pinched, frustrated look on his face. 

Tabitha wondered if he had the same look on his face when he actually went into his office, and if he did, his poor employees. The only time he wasn’t working was when he was eating homemade dessert or waiting for the dessert to be made. The way to a man’s heart truly was his stomach, and she had learned this almost instantly. 

Tabitha stood in the kitchen, dressed in a silky short slip from Agent Provocateur (this particular piece of nightwear came with an eyewatering price tag of $1015. Her first purchase using the black card Steve had given her, and hopefully not her last. The material felt so luxurious against her body and she’d definitely already gotten accustom to the good life), watching Steve as he stood by the counter practically inhaling the brownies she had just made. 

He had been busy working, but as soon as he had heard her mulling around in the kitchen he came along, the work clearly forgotten in his study. Normally she would press extra chocolate chunks into the top once the brownies were cooling so they wouldn’t melt fully but with Steve buzzing around her like an excited fly she had no chance to do that this time around.

“You work way too hard, you know” She blurted out in-between ogling and slapped her hands over her mouth, internally groaning. She was so carried away ogling Steve that she hadn’t realised she’d said that out loud. She should have just gone to sleep, who even wanted midnight brownies.

Clearly, the Adonis stood close to her did, as Steve put down the spoon and cleared his throat, wiping off the chocolate remnants around his mouth with a napkin. He was obviously too proper to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I do?” Steve frowned and rubbed at the side of his head like he was asking himself a question. He looked like a Labrador puppy and it was hard to believe this man was one of the top security consultants in possibly all of the USA. Unless he got this far in his career by using his sad eyes. That made sense. “I do.”

Tabitha looked over at Steve and bit her lip. She was worried, and he had that pinched look on his face, the same look that he had when Bucky just wasn’t understanding the figures. 

“I realise…that I haven’t really done this correctly” Steve cleared his throat. “Tabitha, we made an arrangement, but since I day I met you I haven’t done anything correctly. It’s like all my senses go out of the window when you’re around. I never thought I’d be one of those men, you know, the ones who just go stupid whenever their girl is around. Bucky and Sam, now those two, they’re those kinda men. I used to make fun of them!”

“This doesn’t sound like you’re annoyed with me…”

Steve frowned and stepped towards Tabitha, cupping her face and stroking a finger down her cheek.

“I’m not annoyed at all, sweetheart. Except maybe at myself. I’m supposed to be spoiling you, taking care of your every desire”

It was Tabitha’s turn to frown now.

“Steve, you really can’t be serious. In the entire like 5 weeks that I’ve known you, you’ve changed my entire life” Tabitha snorted. “You even woke up at 2am to get that spider that was in the corner of the bathroom”

Steve laughed loudly, his chest rumbling as he pulled Tabitha’s small body closer into his chest.

“The one that was looking at you like it wanted to kill you?”

“That’s the one, buddy” Tabitha hugged him tighter. “You let me bother you during work, you listen to my ramblings, you fight me over the last serving of dessert even though I know damn well you wake up early just so you can eat extra and leave me the remains”

Tabitha took a step back, out of Steve’s hold and looked up at him. Steve had an unreadable look on his face, and Tabitha didn’t want to press. His words sounded sincere and his body language was still inviting, so she just waited, allowing him time to speak.

“I like taking care of you, Tabitha. I like walking up and having to be quiet because if I wake you up, you’ll kill me. You make me food, and desserts. You even offer to do my laundry”

Steve had a fond smile on his face, replacing the previous blank stare. It quelled the nerves in Tabitha’s stomach.

“Now, I might have been taking care of some of your needs” He said in a matter of fact tone. “But I haven’t really done any spoiling, have I?”

“Steve” Tabitha frowned. “You don’t have to always spoil me”

“But I want too. I want a better balance of work/life, hell, I need work/life balance”

“You do work a lot. I wish I was that focused”

Steve smiled.

“At this point, it’s not even focus. I’ve been taking care of things myself for so long that it’s just become the norm”

“So” Tabitha cleared her throat, biting her lip. “Does this mean we can start on the work/life balance?”

Steve smiled, all sparkling white perfectly straight teeth, and Tabitha leant up to kiss his cheek, not being able to help herself. He kissed the tip of her nose in return.

“I’ll have to look at my diary and arrange something” He mumbled as he reached over for another brownie. “Then, I think I know just how to start spoiling you”

Tabitha raised an eyebrow.

“If it’s a surprise I’m gonna implode. I like surprises, but I hate having to wait!”

Steve smiled down at her.

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know”

Tabitha rolled her eyes. Such an old man saying for old man Rogers.

“And satisfaction bought it back, Rogers. Now tell me” She pouted. “Please? Pretty please?”

Steve laughed, snagging the final brownie as he walked back to his office, Tabitha trailing behind.

“I’m not telling you, regardless of how adorable you look at me, baby”

Tabitha huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Steve laughed again, and she pouted even harder before realising he really wouldn’t tell her. Tabitha took a seat on the comfortable chaise chair in his office, grabbing her book from the floor beside it. She liked to curl up in his office whenever Steve worked from home, and it was nice to just enjoy someone’s company without having to exchange pleasantries. Steve enjoyed the silent company too, apparently, as the morning after Tabitha came along to the space a comfy chair with matching ottoman stool & a luxurious blanket appeared.

Steve took a seat at his desk, opening up his emails and carrying on with his workload but every so often glancing up to look at Tabitha. She had been reading from a heavy book and he recognised the cover, his mum having several similar books dotted around their home growing up. He was sure he still had the books somewhere in secure storage, and it would be nice to let them see the light of day after all this time. 

With his stomach full and content for the time being, Steve went back to work. It had just gone past midnight and he just had a few more emails to go. The time passed with ease, and before Steve knew it, it was 3am and Tabitha was curled up on herself, the blanket wrapped tight around her shoulders as she snoozed. A flush of shame ran through Steve as he turned off his laptop and stood up, gently stretching his lower back. He had started this arrangement and was putting no effort into it. He was lucky Tabitha was so nice, because he’d heard horror stories from Sam of sugar babies who were so demanding and greedy. 

As he carried Tabitha to the bedroom, he wondered what he could do and how he could focus time on her, instead of his work. He wanted to approach this as methodically as he did his work. A vacation would be perfect, and Steve emailed his travel agent from his phone before getting into bed, spooning Tabs and pressing a kiss to her shoulder as he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you all next week!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fluff, because why not? Plan on plenty of it, people.

Tabitha awoke just after 8, warm and comfortable from a perfect night’s sleep. One of the curtains was slightly undone allowing the mornings natural light to filter in and Tabitha stretched her legs, circling her ankles and raising her hands above her head as she fully stretched out. She lay in bed for a few moments, checking her Instagram feed and liking all of Lauren’s recent pictures. She was due back to New York soon and Tabs looked forward to checking in with her best friend.

Eventually, Tabitha got out of bed and walked around the empty penthouse. Steve must have left for work earlier and she took it as a blessing in disguise because it was difficult adjusting to living with someone, regardless of how beautiful the house or person were. She appreciated having some time alone as it allowed her a chance to reflect on just how quickly her life had seemingly changed. 

Money definitely didn’t buy happiness, but it helped ease away the usual stresses. 

Her mornings were simple, she showered & got ready for the day. Breakfasts were once a simple affair (coffee, and a cereal bar on the way to catch the train) but Steve shopped at Whole Foods and had a functioning kitchen so she could afford to make herself something to eat. Something fancy, usually with avocado because Steve had money to spare.

This particular morning, as she scrambled eggs at the stove in her beat up skillet, Tabitha had a genius idea. She was volunteering in the evening and wanted to make cookies seeing as she had the entire morning to do as she pleased (thank you Steve for taking away her adult responsibilities) so she could easily stop by and drop some to Steve’s office.

He had given her his business card and she had pinned it to the fridge along with adding some Mean Girls fridge magnets onto the boring stainless steel double doors (Steve didn’t get any of the references and needed to see that film ASAP) and nowadays she no longer took public transport thanks to Steve’s card linked to her Uber account, so she could definitely swing by. He would appreciate it; she just knew he would.

Tabitha ate her breakfast on the sofa, checking her Instagram and texting Lauren before cleaning up after herself and setting about making the cookies. They were delicious. Peanut butter and chocolate chip with 3 kinds of chocolate: white, milk & dark as well as an entire packet of Reeses peanut butter chips thrown in for good measure.

The ingredients were easy enough to gather, most of them arriving in a Whole Foods order she had placed earlier on in the week, and Tabitha set about on making the dough. The cookies, once baked, would need to cool for a few hours, so the recipe was more time consuming than difficult. She had plenty of time, though.

Baking was nice and methodical Tabitha set about on the recipe with ease, happy that Steve seemed to have every kitchen appliance, measuring tool & bowl even though the kitchen was rarely touched. She knew it wasn’t her place, and they were still figuring out whatever it even was that the two of them were doing, but she needed to have a serious talk with him and his riches. Who needed four sets of measuring spoons that were still in their original packaging?

An hour later, thanks to the ridiculously huge double oven, 5 dozen cookies lay cooling on cooling racks atop the kitchen counter. As they were cooling, Tabitha took the time to shower, complete a 6 step skincare routine & straighten her hair.

She wanted to be comfortable at work and the weather was warm so with no clue as to her outfit for the day she walked into the walk-in closet for some inspiration.

Steve had so kindly given her practically an entire wing of his penthouse. She had her own bedroom, with an ensuite bathroom and walk in closet that she had picked when she first arrived. She had no use for the bedroom but did find herself using the space to study and read whenever she wanted to offer Steve some distance. Just because they lived together didn’t mean they needed to spend every waking minute together, and she was thankful that Steve understood this.

Tabitha put on her underwear & a bra and looked at the racks of new clothing hung up & all the different pairs of shoes and beautiful handbags that filled the wardrobe. Steve had been far too generous and still was, he seemed to smile whenever she came home multiple shopping bags from high end stores and loved when she showed him what she had bought. 

She settled on a Dolce & Gabbana printed floral playsuit that was sleeveless with a v-neck and tailored shorts. It was white with red & pink roses and green leaves on it and she paired the outfit with a pair of white Bottega Veneta quilted leather sandals with a 4 inch heel. The look was completed with a pair of round frame Chloe sunglasses in rose gold.

Tabitha took a few steps back, smoothing down her outfit and turning to the side to look at herself in the full-length mirrors in the room. Once she was pleased with her appearance and her hair, she stepped into the bathroom and began applying her makeup, which was always relatively simple for the daytime. A pair of naturally wispy false eyelashes, tinted moisturiser with some toned-down contour & highlight and nude lip gloss.

Half of the cookies, once cooled, were moved to a large Tupperware container and Tabitha held the warm container tightly on her lap in the Uber. The ride was half an hour in total thanks to the lunchtime traffic and Tabitha found herself standing outside a large office building once the ride was over. A businessman who was exiting held the door open for her and Tabitha smiled, shuffling into the building and walking past the main reception in the lobby, pressing the button to call the elevator. Steve’s floor was close to the top.

The elevator opened to a standard office layout with a large reception area and cubicles behind. Offices were behind those, and Tabitha knew Steve probably had the best office on the entire floor. Boss man definitely had too.

A receptionist looked up from her screen and smiled at Tabitha, beckoning her over. Tabitha held the Tupperware container tightly in her fists and walked over to the desk.

“Hi!” Tabitha smiled at the woman. “Can you please tell me where Steve Rogers office is?”

The receptionist scoffed and raised an eyebrow which made Tabitha frown.

“Do you have a meeting?” The lady asked bluntly.

“No,” Tabitha said in a very matter of fact tone, not liking how this woman was not matching her politeness. “I do not.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but without a meeting I cannot let you enter further”

Tabitha nodded once, putting the Tupperware container down on the edge of the desk and ignoring the receptionists glares as she did. She pulled her phone out of her pocket (she had decided against taking a purse, the container was hard enough to carry) and text Steve, putting her phone back into her pocket and staring at the receptionist as she picked up the container again.

“I’ll just wait here for Steve myself.”

Tabitha sat down on the sofa besides the reception desk, biting her lip as she waited. She could feel the woman staring at her and laughed internally cause the woman was probably considering calling security. Tabitha was relieved when she saw Steve round the corner a few minutes later dressed in an immaculate, tailored three piece suit & she perked up, standing up from the sofa and smiling widely. 

Steve looked super stressed but happy to see her, nonetheless.

“Tabitha.” Steve greeted warmly. “What a surprise.”

Tabitha smiled and waved at the receptionist (who looked mighty shocked) before following Steve. The pair walked down a long hallway past several cubicles before Steve opened an office door and yep, big boss man definitely had the nicest and largest office space she had ever seen. It looked like it came straight out of a GQ photoshoot, all modern oak and hardwood with metallic accents and the most glorious view of downtown. 

“I hope you’re not too busy.” Tabitha asked as she entered the office and put the container down on Steve’s desk. “Also, is it okay for me to just come here? I’m sorry I didn’t ask…”

Steve rolled his eyes.

“Tabitha, you are welcome here anytime. I’m glad to see you, honestly. Today has been testing.”

Tabitha pouted. 

“Poor you. Would some cookies help?”

Steve perked up, shutting the office door and taking a seat at his desk. He motioned to the Tupperware container and Tabitha smiled, taking off the lid and watching as he sniffed the contents of the container with his eyes shut in bliss. Steve reached out like he was going to grab a cookie and Tabitha squeaked when he instead wrapped one large arm around her waist and hoisted her into his lap, grabbing a cookie with his free hand and munching on it.

“I’m so happy to see you,” Steve mumbled, mouth half full of cookie. Tabitha wanted to laugh because she wanted her cookie in Steve’s mouth. “Truly.”

Steve sounded sincere, and his face seemed so much more relaxed than it had a few minutes ago and that stirred something warm inside Tabitha. She was glad she could please him, albeit in such a small way.

“You had a bad day or something?” Tabs asked as she grazed her fingertips up and down the back of his neck, hoping that the motions would soothe him. “Subordinates not listening?”

Steve laughed loudly, tipping his head back and squeezing Tabitha close.

“Something like that.” He said, reaching for another cookie. “So, what brought you by?”

Tabitha smiled, looking up at Steve.

“I wanted to see you and bring you some cookies.”

Steve pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“That’s very kind of you, darling.” 

After a few more moments of being held, Tabitha somehow mustered the strength to get off Steve’s lap (and really, she couldn’t explain what allowed her to willingly want to move away from the masculine beauty that was Steve Rogers) and wander around his office space, taking in the pictures framed on the walls as Steve tapped away at his keyboard behind her.

“Steve?” Tabitha asked absentmindedly, her thoughts lost in a weathered photo of a teenage Steve with his friends all decked out in baseball outfits. “I think we should go out to dinner tonight.”

“I would love to take you to dinner. Are you working?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to head off soon. My teacher is coming down to supervise and see how I’m getting on.”

“You’re doing wonderfully, Tabs.” Steve stood up, replacing the lid on the Tupperware container and stepping around his desk to hug Tabitha from behind, his strong arms wrapping around her waist. She looked beautiful in her outfit, and he couldn’t wait to take her out later looking so delectable. “Do not be nervous.”

Tabitha snorted, leaning back against Steve’s chest. Her volunteering was all confidential and she never shared anything with anyone, especially not Steve, but the vote of confidence was reassuring coming from such a successful businessman. 

The pair embraced for a few moments before Tabitha turned around and pressed a kiss to Steve’s cheek, motioning at the clock on the wall.

“I better get going. Pick me up from work?” She asked sweetly. 

Steve smiled and nodded, leaning down to capture Tabitha’s plush lips in a sweet kiss. Tabitha wrapped her arms around Steve’s shoulders and tilted her head to the side, allowing Steve to deepen the kiss.

The pair must have gotten lost in the rhythm of making out as someone at the door clearing their throat only brought them back to reality. It was a tall man with dark hair and blue eyes who was smiling widely at the pair and apologising for interrupting, but he needed Steve for something. Steve rolled his eyes and ushered the man into his office, shutting the door behind himself and standing outside of his office with Tabitha.

“That is Bucky, my best friend.” Steve said as he walked Tabitha towards the elevators. “The photo you were looking at, the baseball one, that’s me, Buck and Sam. We’ve been friends since we were kids.”

Tabitha smiled. It would be nice to meet them one day.

“Share the cookies with them, okay? I’ll see you later, stud.” She hugged Steve again before stepping into the elevator, waving at Steve until the doors closed and the elevator went down.

Steve watched as the elevator disappeared before making his way back to his office. As he walked back, he thought about leaving work earlier than normal so he could make a stop or two and get something special for Tabitha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments and kudos once again. I appreciate it all so much, and I'm so glad you're enjoying this.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really apologise for the delay in uploading this chapter, so I've made it much longer than usual to try and make up for this.

Steve walked back to his office with a pep in his step, happy and content that Tabitha had swung by and brought him a baked treat. As soon as he entered his office he was met with the sight of Bucky sat at his desk, stuffing cookies into his mouth.

Steve scowled and snatched the container back, noticing how much lighter it was than before.

“Buck, you shit.” Steve growled. “These are my cookies.”

Bucky laughed loudly, reaching for another and smirking when Steve swatted his hand away. If there was one thing Steve didn’t share, it was desserts. The man had a sweet tooth and Bucky was surprised at just how perfect his teeth and physique were considering that Steve had a secret bottom drawer of his desk filled with Hersheys bars that he thought nobody knew about. Little did he know, Sam and Bucky often swiped from it. 

“Uh, uh. Share, Steven.” Bucky chewed loudly on purpose. “These are good.”

Steve scowled again, shooing Bucky from his desk and taking a seat on his office chair. Bucky sat on the edge of his desk and stared at the man with a glint in his eyes.

“So, that cute girl came to drop you cookies?”

“Yes.” Steve said in a very exasperated tone, hoping Bucky would not press further but knowing his best friend definitely would. “Cookies for me.”

Bucky nodded, pretending to be deep in thought for a minute before he spoke again.

“…And then you started kissing on said girl?”

“James Buchanan Barnes.”

Bucky laughed loudly, rolling his eyes and standing up. He knew he was in trouble when Steve called him by his full name.

“Jeez, Stevie, stop being so secretive!” Bucky patted Steve on the back. “I’m not prying, it’s just nice to see you happy.”

Steve nodded, suddenly feeling bad for how defensive he was. He held the Tupperware container out in apology, allowing Bucky to grab a few cookies. 

“All I’m gonna say is,” Bucky said nonchalantly as he grabbed another cookie. “You’re robbing the cradle with this one.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, placing the lid tightly onto the Tupperware container before standing up from his desk.

“Jesus, Buck. She’s over 21!”

Bucky snorted, patting Steve on the back before opening the office door.

“Whatever makes you feel better, Stevie. Now come on, I need you to sign off on these papers, Casanova.”

Steve followed Bucky out of the office, shutting the door behind him before following Bucky down the hall.

“Fine, I’m only here for another two hours though. Remember I’m sorting out some leave soon too.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow, stopping his pace and turning around to look at Steve.

“First I catch you kissing someone in your office and now you’re leaving work early? Who are you and what have you done with Stevie?”

“You’re a dweeb.” Steve sighed, bypassing Bucky. “I regret sharing those cookies.”

*

True to his word, Steve left work half an hour early and got his driver to stop at the Fendi store on Greene Street. The staff inside the store were enthusiastic, no doubt having seen the chauffeured Maybach that was waiting outside for him and were quick to begin suggesting items for Steve. 

After a third staff member appeared, Steve held up his hand politely, smiling at the staff and kindly asking them to stop. He didn’t need all the schmoozing. He asked for what he wanted; a large leather tote bag and a few beach towels, things he had spotted on the website earlier that he wanted to purchase for Tabitha, things she could use for the upcoming vacation he was trying to plan. The staff were quick to pander to his request.

As Steve was paying, he noticed a Teddy bear with the monogram Fendi print behind the staff member and purchased that too, asking for everything to be gift wrapped. The teddy bear was cute and would suit a spot somewhere in Tabitha’s wardrobe.

Steve left the store with two large bags and passed them to his driver to put in the trunk before getting into the backseat. He had taken his tie off midday and left his blazer at work, opting to stay in his white dress shirt and black trousers, his wallet & phone in his back pocket. His Saint Laurent shoes were not the most comfortable choice of footwear, but he could deal with it seeing as he only had dinner plans for the night.

He had booked private dinner reservations for the night at Per Se and hoped Tabitha would enjoy the food. She had requested he take her to dinner, and he wanted to spoil her hence the stop at Fendi for some gifts.

His driver pulled up outside the building where Tabitha worked and Steve got out of the car, leaning back against it as he waited for her.

Tabitha reflected back on her day as she walked down the two flights of stairs that would lead her to the lobby of the shelter. It had been a rewarding albeit tedious day due to her teacher supervising over her & she had been very nervous during the entire time but overall relieved that she was using her counselling skills in an acceptable manner. 

She smiled widely when she exited the building and saw Steve waiting outside. She ran over to Steve, hugging him tightly and looking up at him. He looked as handsome as he did earlier, and honestly this man was too good to be true. 

Steve leant down to press a kiss to Tabitha’s lips, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Darling,” Steve said. “How was today?”

“Real good, Steve. A lot going on and my mind is churning right now but it was so good.”

Steve smiled and nodded, holding the car door open and getting in after Tabitha. 

“I have booked us dinner reservations.” He said. “As you requested.”

Tabitha bit her lip.

“About that, Steve…I was wondering maybe if I can take you somewhere? It’s definitely not gonna be as fancy as anywhere you booked and if you can’t cancel the booking that’s totally fine too ‘cause this is really last minute and I’m sorry.” Tabitha bit her lip, carrying on. “It’s just, like, after every major school related thing, my best friend and I used to go get pizza from this one place. It’s like our tradition. She’s not in New York right now, but I was hoping we could go. It still goes in line with the tradition and at this point it’s like my good luck charm. I think I would crash and burn without it.”

Tabitha realised she was babbling as soon as she started speaking but at this point, she was too far gone so she kept speaking whenever there was any silence. She wondered if she could throw herself from the car, but Steve was looking at her with this fond gaze and she felt comforted enough to not want to think about launching herself out of the moving vehicle and injuring herself.

“Of course,” Steve took her hand and squeezed it softly before letting go. “Whatever you want.”

Steve smiled fondly at the woman sitting next to him. He remembered the traditions he had in College with Bucky and Sam and just how important they were to him back then, although he was sure they were a lot different than what him and his friends would get up too.

In that moment it brought back the realisation that there was more than a decade of age difference between them, something Steve forgot about often seeing as the pair had his warm sense of chemistry. It reminded him of what Bucky had said earlier in his office. 

Tabitha waved her hand in front of Steve’s face, breaking him out of the daze he seemed to be in. She hoped he wasn’t upset at her request.

“It’s stupid.” She muttered, pulling her hand down and nervously wringing her hands in her lap. “You made reservations; we shouldn’t cancel. There’s probably this whole crazy cancelling fee anyway. Sorry.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on Tabitha’s chin and softly tilting her face upwards so she was staring at him. He realised that she was getting the wrong impression and wanted to put an end to this before anything began. Also, he found it very endearing that she was worried about any fees considering Steve had enough money to comfortably live out the rest of his life and then some.

“Tabitha, I apologise. What you said reminded me of my own traditions in College, I must have lost my thoughts.” Steve smiled, squeezing her chin in a sweet gesture. “I would love to help you carry on the good luck charms. Where are we headed?”

Tabitha smiled widely, leaning forward and pressing the button to lower the partition wall so she could see the driver.

“Hey, Bobby!”

Tabitha smiled, meeting the Chauffeurs eyes in the rear-view mirror. Bobby had collected her after a few shopping trips and she enjoyed getting to know him. He had a great respect for Steve and Tabitha could see why. Steve was a genuine nice guy and obviously treated his staff well.

“Evening, Miss Tabitha.” Bobby replied from the front of the car. “Where can I take you both?”

“East Village. Corner of east 9th street, please.”

The man nodded before the partition wall slid back up, allowing Steve and Tabitha some peace. Tabitha knew the ride would take around 10 minutes so she leant back in the seat, looking over at Steve with a smile.

“So, your college traditions.” She asked. “How weird we talking?”

Steve laughed, reaching out to grasp Tabitha’s hand again.

“Well, for some reason whenever I studied, I had to drink a cool blue Gatorade. It’s like I wouldn’t soak up anything I was looking at unless it was that exact blue drink. I tried with other flavours, even the Frost one that was still blue and it just didn’t work” 

Steve snorted, remembering all the litres of Gatorade he must have gone through. 

“Bucky was on track so the morning of his runs he would do his entire routine backwards. I never understood that to be honest and I don’t think he did either but I guess he kept doing it cause nothing ever went wrong? Sam, another friend, he used to be on the swim team. The night before every big swim, Bucky and I would go to his dorm and eat bagels with cream cheese. He used to say it was the perfect balance of fat and carbs to set him up for the next morning and what can I say, he always won whenever we did that.”

Tabitha nodded, listening to Steve and squeezing his hand. She liked hearing his stories and he had a fond smile on his face as he spoke.

“Your friend Bucky that I saw today?”

“That’s the one. James, we call him Bucky. Been my best friend since we were in diapers.”

“Did you share the cookies with him?”

“Share?!” Steve scowled. “When I came back to my office he had all but inhaled most of them.”

Tabitha swore she could see a pout on Steve’s lips.

“Oh poor you.” She mocked. “There’s loads more at home you know.”

Steve smiled, feeling warmth in his chest as Tabitha referred to his penthouse as their home. He gave her hand another squeeze as Bobby pulled the car to the side, allowing the pair to exit. 

Steve took Bobby to the side, asking the man to drop the gifts at home before he was done for the day and Bobby agreed with a smile, waving the pair off before getting back into the car. They weren’t far from his penthouse and the weather was mild so he was happy to walk home with Tabitha.

The pair entered a busy pizza store that had a painting of a pizza on the black wall next to it and Steve kept hold of Tabitha’s hand as the pair waited in the queue for their turn to order. Small tables inside the store were littered with customers chatting happily and Steve could smell tomatoes and herbs stewing.

A middle aged, balding man appeared from behind one of the pizza ovens, beckoning the pair over. Steve didn’t want to bypass the waiting patrons in the queue but Tabitha rolled her eyes and dragged him along.

“Ciao, Tabitha and friend!” The man greeted, smiling widely. “Where is Lauren?” 

“On holiday, nonno.” Tabitha replied with a smile, motioning to Steve. “This is Steve. Steve, this is Frank. Owner of East Village pizza and basically honorary grandad to all”

Steve smiled and nodded, shaking the mans hand.

“Tabitha has been coming to my store for a very long time,” Frank said conversationally. “Our pizza is her good luck charm, but I think she is ours.”

Tabitha blushed and Steve wrapped one arm around her waist, squeezing her hipbone to signify how he agreed.

“Can we split a double stack pizza in the back?” Tabitha asked, leaning into Steve’s side. “Margherita?”

Frank smiled and nodded, leading the pair through the small kitchen and out onto a veranda where a small round table and two chairs sat. There was a red and white chequered sheet on top of the table and shakers full of chilli flakes and parmesan. Frank disappeared for a moment and returned with two glass bottles of cola, leaving them on the table and motioning to the seats. He mentioned it would be a 20 minute wait and left the pair.

“I am under the impression,” Steve said as he held out the chair for Tabitha before tucking her in and taking a seat himself, their glass bottles clinking together. “That you get special treatment wherever you go.”

Tabitha laughed, taking a sip of her drink.

“I wish!” She fiddled with the end of the tablecloth. “I’ve just been coming here for like ever, seriously.”

Steve nodded, taking his phone from his back pocket and opening up the calendar app as they waited. The pair fell into a comfortable silence for a moment.

“Tabitha?” He asked, waiting for her to meet his eyes. “I have a meeting in Europe coming up. I was thinking I could take some extra days off so we can have a small vacation?”

Tabitha smiled widely.

“Steve, that sounds so good! You don’t realise how mad I was growing up in England ‘cause Europe was right there and I never got a chance to go anywhere. I mean I went Paris on a day trip for school but I was 14 and it was the worst.”

Steve laughed, taking a look over the dates for the next few weeks and nodding before putting his phone back into his pocket.

“How much notice do you need for work?”

“Oh, none? Maybe a week or something to alert my Supervisor but I volunteer so it should be okay?”

Steve nodded again.

“Okay, I can work with that. I’m waiting to hear back about possible dates by end of day tomorrow and then I can try and finalise some plans for the upcoming few weeks?”

Tabitha smiled and nodded, moving her chair a little closer to Steve’s as the food arrived. 

The pizza was delicious, as it always was, fragrant basil and sweet tomato sauce loaded with cheese all on a chewy crust. This was the pizza to end all others and Tabitha ate until she felt like she couldn’t move, as did Steve. It was impressive and amusing, given that Steve lived in luxury and had people to take care of his every need and desire yet here he was, eating off a styrofoam plate sat a wonky table in a hole in the wall pizzeria.

After some grumbling from Steve, Tabitha was allowed to pay for their dinner (she had persuaded him with ease, purely because she didn’t want to upset the good luck charm effect, and how could Steve deny her when she pouted at him so sweetly) and the pair left after promising Frank they would return soon.

The walk home was uneventful as was the weather. Grey skies were above, and the rumblings of thunder could be heard in the very distance but there was no sign of rain. Tabitha gripped onto Steve’s hand tightly, squeezing whenever she heard the thunder, so Steve wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side as they weaved between the pedestrians and headed up to his penthouse.

As requested, the large gift bags from Fendi were sat upon the kitchen counter and Tabitha raised an eyebrow, smiling widely and she slowly walked over.

“For me?” She asked sweetly, blowing Steve a kiss when he nodded. “Thank you!”

Tabitha couldn’t keep the grin off her face as she ripped apart the packaging, unwrapping the teddy bear first and hugging it tightly before putting it aside and unwrapping the rest. She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side at the choice of gifts.

“Is it gonna rain that much?” She asked, holding up the beach bag and towels. 

Steve chuckled, cupping Tabitha’s face and stroking down her cheek with his index finger.

“They can be used for our upcoming travels, and that’s the closest kind of clue you’ll get.”

Tabitha pouted, looking up at Steve before leaning up to kiss him softly, resting her hands on his strong chest as he pulled her close and deepened the kiss, his tongue moving in and out of her mouth with sweet ease. They kissed lazily against the kitchen counter until a double clap of thunder broke them apart.

“Thank you for my gifts.” Tabitha kissed Steve again. “I’m gonna change and do my skincare. You need to work?”

Steve shook his head, content with just holding Tabitha.

“Really?” Tabitha’s smile brightened. “Should we watch a movie?”

Steve nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Whatever you want, darling. I just need to send one email”

Tabitha moved away from Steve and clapped her hands together in excitement. 

“Okay Steve, you send your emails, I’m gonna shower. Meet you in the living room in half an hour?”

Steve nodded, leaning down to kiss her again before disposing of the gift wrapping trash and heading into his study so he could have some privacy to contact his travel agent. He had emailed previously and was curious if there were any updates as to his request.

Tabitha quickly showered, completed her nightly skincare routine & washed her hair, partially drying it with a blow dryer and then tying the damp curls up into a high bun. She applied her favourite vanilla & almond scented body lotion all over before changing into a cozy knit tank top and matching pants, both coming from the most recent Skims loungewear collection. The price tag was a modest $140, so Tabitha had no guilt over buying the same set in 5 different colours. They were ridiculously comfy and had quickly become her favourite loungewear for lazy days and nights.

Steve was sat on the sofa when Tabitha entered the living room, dressed in a deep blue Hugo Boss pyjama set of shorts and a t-shirt. His own hair was damp and softly curling signalling he too had enough time to shower and Tabitha smiled, sitting down next to him and resting her feet underneath one of his muscular thighs as he turned on the television.

“Any particular movie choices?” He asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to his side.

“Mean Girls!” Tabitha replied quickly, resting her head on Steve’s bicep. “I still can’t believe you haven’t watched it.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, looking down at Tabitha.

“Judging from the fridge magnets, it doesn’t seem like the style of movie I would be rushing out to see.”

Tabitha rolled her eyes, flicking Steve’s chest with her finger.

“The sass, Steve!” Tabitha giggled. “Boo, you whore!”

Steve frowned, quickly remembering that quote was also on one of the fridge magnets.

“The quote will make sense, trust me.” Tabitha kissed his bicep, taking the remote and loading Mean Girls up via Netflix. “Just pay attention.”

Steve kissed the top of Tabitha’s head, holding her close as the movie began to load and suddenly feeling nervous at what he had agreed to.

*

Much later in the evening, when the pair were curled up together in Steve’s bed as a thunderstorm raged on outside, Steve sniffed Tabitha’s shoulder before commenting.

“You smell like a baby prostitute.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Boo, you whore” & “You smell like a baby prostitute” are both iconic quotes from Mean Girls. 
> 
> Thank you all for your comments and kudos, I appreciate them all so much and hope you are enjoying this.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SORRY for the massive delay in uploading. University and work are kicking my ass at the moment and it's a hard adjustment so I've had to put my writing and social life aside. I hope once I get into the swing of things that I can manage my time better.
> 
> Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Tabitha once again woke up in an otherwise empty bed, and after searching through the penthouse for Steve and not finding him in any of the rooms it was apparent that he must have gone into work, especially as the kitchen still carried the lingering scent of coffee grounds. Tabitha felt guilty seeing as the thunder had kept her up most of the night and that meant Steve had less sleep than usual too. She had wanted to make Steve breakfast to apologise for waking him up periodically through the night, but she was alone, and she wasn’t in the mood for pancakes for one. 

Tabitha instead ate a bowl of cereal (Boo Berry, her favourite, and clearly a cereal she had to purchase upon moving in seeing as old man Rogers ate grape nuts and plain cheerios) and a banana, half listening to the news playing on the TV in the background as she sat by the kitchen island and texted Lauren as she did most mornings. She missed Lauren, the pair were long overdue a catch up & soon enough her best friend would be back in NYC, so Tabitha looked forward to eventually seeing her again and updating her on the crazy turn her life had suddenly taken. 

Her phone alarm went off, and Tabitha looked down at the reminder on the screen with a frown, totally forgetting that she had recently scheduled a hair appointment. She had left the appointment open as she wanted to think about what she wanted to do with her hair but that hadn’t gone to plan as she had forgotten all about it and now had less than 3 hours to make her choice. 

Her morning and remainder of the day was still open with no plans, so Tabitha decided that she was due some pampering, it was a hard life after all, and a spot of shopping would go perfectly with a new hairstyle, it was exactly what she deserved.

She cleaned up after herself in the kitchen, took a quick shower and dressed down in a pair of leggings, a t-shirt and a black hoodie that she took from Steve’s wardrobe. It was oversized, worn in & comfortable and carried his scent that she had learned to love, masculine and clean. 

There was no need for makeup, and she didn’t want to style her hair, especially as she planned on getting it done, so she brushed it out, gave it another blow dry seeing as it was still damp from being washed last night and tied it up in a high bun before spritzing her face with her favourite watermelon mist to lock in all the goodness from her skincare routine. She grabbed her phone before slipping into a pair of grey Hermès bouncing sneakers and stood in the kitchen as she drank a glass of water. She noticed a plain white envelope with her name on it by the fruit bowl, and she put the empty glass down to open it up. Inside were 10 crisp $100 bills. Of course, Steve had his head planted firmly on his shoulders and must have remembered her comment about making an appointment at a cash only salon. At least one of them had a working brain.

Tabitha took a quick selfie, pouting in Steve’s hoodie as she sent the image to Steve along with a thank you text. She put the money back into the envelope and put it into the hoodie pocket along with her phone before exiting the penthouse, taking the elevator down to the lobby and exiting into the foyer. 

The foyer was as pristine and sparkling as usual. It was quiet, and Ben the receptionist was tapping away at his iPad behind the desk before looking up at Tabitha with a smile.

“Morning, Miss Reyes. Is there anything I can assist you with?”

Tabitha shook her head, walking forward and resting her elbow on the desk and then resting her chin on her hands as she thought about her plans aloud.

“No thank you, Ben. I think I’m just gonna go out.”

“Shall I call Bobby to bring the car around for you?” 

“That would be great, actually.” Tabitha smiled again. “Thank you, Ben.”

Ben smiled before picking up the phone and Tabitha looked down at her phone, opening Instagram as she waited. Her original plan had been to take a walk down Midtown Manhattan and do some retail therapy, but she could see the sky from the spotless windows in the foyer and it was still gloomy and grey so she didn’t want to be walking when there could be potential for another thunderstorm and copious amounts of rain.

“Miss Reyes, Bobby will be outside shortly.”

“Thank you again!” Tabitha looked up from her phone and smiled. “I hope you have a good day.”

“Thank you ma’am.”

Tabitha walked towards the door leading out to the foyer, waiting until the familiar black Maybach pulled up. Only when Bobby got out of the car to hold open the rear door for her did she exit the foyer with a final wave to Ben.

Tabitha got into the backseat as Bobby shut the door and got into the drivers seat, looking at her in the rear-view mirror, awaiting instructions. 

“Morning Tabitha. Where are we headed?”

“Hey Bobby, I have an appointment in Yorkville in 3 hours. I was thinking about doing some shopping beforehand. Can we head towards Upper East Side please?”

Bobby smiled and nodded, raising the partition up to allow Tabitha some privacy for the duration of the drive.

There was traffic, just like always, so it took just over half an hour to arrive. Upon arrival, Tabitha exited the car, noting where Bobby had parked to patiently wait for her to finish. She shut the door behind herself before walking down to Tom Ford, she needed some new make-up and perfume, and this would be a perfect place to start. Although she was dressed very casually, Tabitha was still head to toe in designer and she knew none of the stores would have any problems with allowing her entry. 

Tabitha entered the Tom Ford store and immediately walked towards the marbled-floored, mirror-lined perfume bar, noting the exquisite smells as she stepped into this section of the store. The staff were smiling widely and eager to help, so Tabitha accepted a drink in monogram Tom Ford glass goblets and allowed different sample sticks of scents to be passed her way as she made her choices.

Obviously now accustom to the finer things in life, Tabitha had no problem with selecting the two fragrances she liked the most, each with an eye watering price tag of $895 for a 250ml bottle. Before meeting Steve, Tabitha would have never spent such a ridiculous amount on perfume, but clearly Steve was to blame for allowing her a taste of the good life and it was also his fault that he allowed her whatever her heart desired. Yes, Steve was clearly to blame.

The makeup counter was next, and Tabitha sat patiently as one of the staff members helped her pick her correct shade of foundation, concealer and powder. 6 lip glosses were also selected because a girl could never have too much lip gloss, as were two different types of primers and a cute little eyeshadow quad. She was long overdue some new makeup, especially if Steve was taking her away. A new look with her new hair, after all.

Tabitha felt bad for the staff member that was following her around with her purchases, and she promised them she had one more stop before she was done. They didn’t object and clearly wouldn’t seeing as she had quite a lot of high-priced items in her basket. Oh, how people pandered to your every need when you had money. 

Tabitha picked up a small black leather cosmetic pouch for herself and then she stopped in the Men’s section to select a silk knit tie for Steve, settling on a plain black one. She knew Steve kept his tie choices simple and she felt her choice would complement his charcoal grey suit. She hoped he would like it.

A cashier rung up the purchases, gift wrapping them and placing them into bags. The total was $3380 (again, Steve was to blame!), and Tabitha selected Steve’s black card from her Apple pay and tapped it against the card machine, collecting the bags and receipts and thanking the staff before she left.

Tabitha kept a firm grip of the bags in her hands as she made the short walk down the street to Gianvito Rossi. She was excited to visit this shoe store simple because she had dreamed of owning a pair of Plexi pumps since she had spotted them in one of Lauren’s fashion magazines years ago. She finally had the funds, so her dream would now become a reality.

Again, once inside the store the staff pandered to her every whim, showing her the entire range of Plexi pumps and the new designs of shoes. Though spoilt for choice, it didn’t take Tabitha long to make her choices, two pairs of suede Plexi heels in black and nude and a beautiful pair of silver heels embellished with sparkling diamonds, aptly named Crystelle sandals. The total this time for three pairs of heels was $2584 and just as before, without batting an eyelid, Tabitha tapped her phone against the card machine to pay before exiting the store with even more bags.

Tabitha walked back towards where Bobby was parked, taking a seat in the back and putting the bags down on the seat beside her. She took out her phone and looked at the time, noting that she had just over half an hour remaining until her hair appointment. As if right on cue, the stylist at the NYC Weave Studio sent her a text reminding her of the appointment & that the salon was cash only, and Tabitha was reminded how Steve had remembered to leave her some money.

He was too kind, he never ever mentioned her allowance that she received every week, always happy to open his wallet for whatever she needed and wanted. He never once told her to use her allowance, instead choosing to hand out even more of his money. Sometimes, Tabitha wondered how Steve could have remained single, the man was a literal Saint it seemed, but she was reminded of their first date and how he had mentioned how he was so engrossed in his work. Tabitha hoped their vacation would give Steve a chance to relax for once. 

She rolled down the partition window.

“Bobby, can we stop on East 93rd please?”

“Of course.”

Tabitha smiled widely, leaning back in the seat. “Thank you!”

The partition window came back up and Tabitha put her phone and the envelope of money on the seat beside her. The ride was short, Bobby only having to drive down the block, and Tabitha stepped out of the car once he parked, heading into Yorkville Bagel and Café. 

She ordered herself an iced coffee and a box of assorted bagels and freshly baked pastries, picking a lemon poppyseed muffin and green tea for Bobby because she knew he liked tea and muffins, they’d spent enough time together in New York traffic to learn about each other and whilst it wasn’t technically his job to drive her around, Bobby was always happy and up for the journey.

Tabitha paid and somehow managed to hold the box with her phone and the drinks balanced on top of it as she walked back to the car. She rested the box on the bonnet of the car and waited for Bobby to roll down his window so she could pass him his tea and muffin before sitting in the backseat and placing the bagel box on the seat next to her with all her other purchases. 

“Tabitha, thank you for the tea. You know I love lemon poppyseed muffins.” Bobby smiled. “Where are we headed?”

“East 85th, please! My appointment is gonna take a couple of hours, so can you please drop this stuff back at home?” Tabitha took a sip of her iced coffee. “I’ll just get an Uber when I’m done.”

Bobby nodded, leaving the partition window down as he made small talk during the short drive to the NYC Weave Studio. 

Tabitha put the envelope of money and her phone back into the hoodie pocket once they arrived, thanking Bobby for driving her around today before she exited the car and walked into the salon, still sipping on her drink and then throwing it into the trashcan by the reception desk once she was done. She still had time to spare, so she checked in with the receptionist and took a seat in the waiting area, thinking about what she wanted to do with her hair.

Her phone vibrated in her hand, and Tabitha looked down to see a text from Steve. It was a photo of his lunch and she could see his computer to the side, so he must have been working through his lunch and eating at his desk. Again, she made a mental note to ensure he spend the upcoming vacation relaxing. Her phone then began ringing, signalling that Steve was calling her. Tabitha answered with a smile on her face.

“Hi, Steve.”

“Hello darling. I’m sorry I left so early this morning; I had an emergency.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Mmm, it is now.”

“Ah, big boss man saves the day,” Tabitha giggled. “So, I’m waiting to get my hair done. Thank you for leaving me money! I totally forgot.”

It was Steve’s turn to laugh, and it sounded like melted chocolate being poured down the phone. 

“Oh, you’re more than welcome. What are you going to do to your hair?”

“I don’t know,” Tabitha sighed. “I made the appointment without knowing and I thought I would figure out what I wanted by the time it came around, but that clearly didn’t happen.”

“Blonde.”

“Huh?” Tabitha raised an eyebrow, turning the volume up. “Can you repeat that?”

Steve cleared his throat over the line, his voice lowering slightly.

“If I may make a suggestion, I think you would look even more breathtaking with blonde hair.”

“Oh, that can be arranged.” Tabitha smirked, looking up at the woman standing by the reception desk that was waiting for her. “Oops, looks like it’s my turn! I’ll see you at home?”

“Yes, darling. At home.”

Tabitha hung up, depositing the phone back into her pocket and standing up to follow the woman along to the hairdressing chair. This was going to take a long time and she was glad she had booked quite a few hours.

“I’m Trudy.” The stylist said as she sat Tabitha down and took her hair out of the bun. “Your hair has a loose texture, no tight curls.”

“Yeah,” Tabitha smiled at the woman through the mirror. “My mom’s black, dad’s white. My hair’s quite silky and straight. Loose texture, whatever you said.”

The woman nodded, combing through her hair.

“Have you ever had a weave before?” She asked.

Tabitha snorted.

“Oh yeah, but not since I was a teen. I usually just blow dry my hair straight and I’m good, but I definitely want to add some length.” Tabitha looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was just past shoulder length naturally, but she wanted it to reach her back at least. “I want to bleach it, too. I want a bright yellow blonde, not platinum, no grey tones.”

“Okay, well we have time for all this. I can start by bleaching your hair, we may need to do this twice seeing as your natural hair is so dark, and then I can deep condition and to be honest, we can add some length and volume with some micro link extensions. No need for your hair to be braided and then a weave added.”

“First option!” Tabitha smiled widely. “I haven’t had it braided in forever and my memories all involve pain.”

Trudy laughed, patting Tabitha’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Trust my suggestion, you’ll be fine. Promise. Now come on, let’s pick from the hair extensions. We only use virgin remy hair and I have a few shades of blonde that you might like.”

Four and a half hours later, Tabitha felt like a new woman as she looked at herself in the mirror. Gone was her straight, shoulder length jet black hair and in its place was loosely curled, lower back length bright blonde locks. The stylist had layered the extensions with her natural hair, the links connecting the fake hair hidden between the thick strands of her natural hair. It cascaded down her back beautifully with bounce, and she couldn’t stop running her fingers through it. 

“This is perfect. I love it! Thank you Trudy.” 

Tabitha smiled widely, getting up from the chair and thanking Trudy again before she walked over to the reception and took the envelope out of her pocket, paying what was due and leaving a tip for Trudy. The leftover notes were returned to the envelope and put back into her pocket and Tabitha took a seat in the waiting area, opening the Uber app to call herself a ride home.

*

Steve stepped into the darkened penthouse with a long sigh, leaning back against the wall and tilting his head back, allowing the stress from the day to drain from his body. His shoulders relaxed as he loosened his tie and took off his shoes before tapping the light switch on, moving into the kitchen at a slow pace. 

He noticed a lot of bags on the kitchen counter, evidence that Tabitha must have treated herself today, but he bypassed the various bags in favour of opening the white bakery box and grabbing himself an everything bagel. He was too hungry to toast it or even add any toppings, so he ate it in four dry bites, washing down the carbs with a bottle of sparkling water.

He had planned to work from home today, but it seemed that in preparation for his vacation, his staff members were panicking and trying to tie up as many loose ends as they could before he was off, which created nothing but mess, and naturally Steve had to step in to fix as much as he could. He was too tired now.

Steve stripped himself naked, tossing his clothes down the laundry chute before moving into his bathroom and turning the shower on, waiting until thick steam was billowing around him before he entered the cubicle. He stood under the spray of hot water falling from the rainfall shower head, willing his sore muscles to come undone. 

He wondered if he was always this tired after work and potentially didn’t realise it, it was so easy after all to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and when you owned your own company everything did usually fall on your own shoulders. Steve ran his fingers through his wet hair, pushing the locks off his forehead and opening his shampoo bottle, pouring some onto his hands as he began rubbing the shampoo through his hair.

He shut his eyes as the shampoo rinsed out, feeling shame and guilt. He’d promised Tabitha so much and hadn’t delivered on those promises. Sure, she lived with him and he gave her whatever she desired, but he felt as if he was treating her like an expensive pet, leaving her for hours on end every day to entertain herself. She hadn’t complained, but that didn’t mean Steve wasn’t aware of how he was behaving. He wanted to put her first, and he hoped that the vacation would be a start.

Steve grabbed his body wash and loofah next, lathering the loofah up before scrubbing all over his body. Tabitha would be home soon, she’d text him that she was in her Uber when he was in the elevator and all Steve wanted was to gather her in his arms and relax on the sofa, just as they had done the night before. 

Right on cue, as Steve dried himself off and wrapped a towel around his waist, he heard Tabitha call out for him. He walked into his wardrobe, putting on boxers and warm socks as well as a pair of navy Armani sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. He used the same towel to dry off his hair before walking towards the kitchen. The towel was thrown down the laundry chute and Steve turned around, clearing his throat as he saw Tabitha by the sink, her back to him as she hummed a tune whilst washing her hands.

Tabitha washed and dried her hands at the sink, spinning around when she heard Steve clear his throat behind her. She let out a squeal of surprise as she thought he was still in the bathroom and then laughed, coming up around the counter and nervously standing in front of Steve, hoping he liked her hair.

“You look beautiful, darling.”

Steve reached out to touch Tabitha’s newly dyed hair, marvelling at how soft it felt between his fingertips. He was right, she did look even more breath taking with blonde hair and he pulled her close, nuzzling at her neck as she wrapped her arms around his waist, content to just hold her close. It was exactly what was needed after the day he had.

“Bad day?” Tabitha asked softly as she pressed her cheek against Steve’s chest, his heartbeat thundering in her ear. “Seems like it.”

“Mmm.” Steve grunted, keeping her pressed flush against him as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She smelled like sweet, floral perfume and it drove him wild. “Happy I’m home.”

“I’m glad, big guy.” Tabitha said as she tried to pull away, but Steve grumbled again and pulled her closer which made her laugh. She relaxed in the embrace, sighing comfortably, content in his arms. “Okay, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.” 

It was obvious that Steve hadn’t had the best of days and whilst Tabitha couldn’t exactly do anything to lessen his workload, she could at least get him to relax now that he was away from work. Tabitha took Steve by the hand and led him over to the couch, quietly pushing his shoulders so he got the message and sank onto the couch and then she climbed up on the sofa behind him, sitting on the top of the sofa with Steve between her legs facing forward. She began by running her fingers through his damp hair and repeated the motion a few more times until he relaxed back and then she started rubbing circles on the top of his head, down to his temples, ears and the nape of his neck. 

“Oh,” Steve mumbled as he allowed his eyes to shut. “S’nice.”

Tabitha smiled, rubbing circles on the sides of his neck and then moving down to his shoulders, kneading the left and then the right, applying pressure to any knots she found. Steve sighed loudly, tilting his head to the left and then the right, clearly enjoying the massage.

“You’re gonna relax,” She said softly. “And then I’m gonna make you some hot chocolate and we can watch a movie?”

“Anything you want.”

Tabitha smiled to herself, thinking how she wanted Steve, forever and always as she continuing to rub his shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments and kudos are always appreciated. I hope the next update doesn't take as long, but in case it does, I just want to thank you in advance for your patience! <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy, do I owe my lovely readers an apology for how long it's taken me to give you an update. I'm sorry for the wait, this year has been manic and it shows no signs of slowing down. Thank you for your ongoing patience and support. <3

Tabitha was sat on the floor of the spare bedroom that had slowly morphed into her own walk in wardrobe, watching as Steve worked in front of her. He had so kindly offered to install her some shelves for her growing collection of shoes and of course she couldn’t turn down the offer, so she had spent the remainder of the afternoon emptying the space where the shelves would go and had waited patiently until Steve had finished his call with Sam and joined her. 

He had walked into the room with a tense look on his face and a pinched expression between his eyebrows, a look that was on his face a lot more than usual (and clearly due to issues at work) but the look had melted once he’d looked Tabitha’s way and she hoped the DIY task would relax whatever got him so tense. It was obvious that Steve liked to do things to help people, he’d stated this himself the first night the pair met and had dinner, and so Tabitha wanted him to feel as helpful as possible. She leant back on her hands, watching with a smile as Steve grabbed the power tools, pencils & rulers and set to work.

“You’re just so sweet, Steve.” She said as she blew Steve a kiss when he turned around to look at her. “A total babe.”

“Never been called a total babe before.” Steve replied with a laugh and Tabitha raised her eyebrow.

“Never?!” She said with a gasp. “That’s just cruel. Who would hold out on calling you a total babe? Not this girl over here.” She pointed to herself with a smirk.

Steve rolled his eyes affectionately and turned around to get back to work, Tabitha happy to just sit there and watch him until her phone pinged about 10 times in rapid succession. She grabbed her phone from the floor besides her and unlocked it, inwardly squealing when she saw all the texts were from Lauren who would soon be making her way back to the US. She had been missing her best friend, and a catch up was very long overdue. She quickly shot a text back to her.

**I have missed you so much, Lo!!!! How was Thailand and Gstaad? IG pics are insane. I’m jealous and I hate your life bitch. We need to catch up! Dinner when you’re back?**

Tabitha looked up from her phone, Steve was on his knees with his back to her screwing in the shelves, his arm muscles bulging out the sleeves of his white t-shirt and his bubble butt as delectable as always in his blue jeans. She held up her phone and took a picture of the scene in front of her, texting it to Lauren.

**Sorry if I don’t reply. I have a hunk of a man making me shoe shelves. For all the shoes in my own walk in closet. What twilight zone have I entered LOL.**

She looked at her screen as three dots popped up signalling Lauren was typing back, and soon enough she got a response.

**The best kind of twilight zone Tabby cat! I’m jealous of your life and I hate you back LOL. Leaving Gstaad now it’s like a 2 hour drive to the airport, staying by airport for 1 night and I’ll be back in NYC in like 2 days YAAY. I’ll call you when I land and I miss you xx**

It didn’t take Steve long to measure out the distance between the shelves and then screw them up and he’d even tidied up the dust mess that came from screwing the holes in the walls, the considerate man. Tabitha had long gotten bored of being a spectator and left him to admire his handiwork as she moved into the kitchen, opening the fridge and staring at the contents inside.

“Hey Steve?” She called out as she shut the fridge, not wanting to cook anything as she walked back over to the room where Steve was. “Wanna grab some dinner?”

“Yeah baby, could do. What are you in the mood for?”

“Nowhere fancy, I can’t be bothered to get changed.” Tabitha laughed as she pointed down to her outfit, a cosy dark grey Nike overhead hoodie dress. “I also can’t be bothered to leave now that I think about it, so probably something that can be delivered?”

“You look most beautiful when you’re comfy.” Steve said in a matter-of-fact tone. He said it so casually, like the compliment was nothing, when in fact it wrapped itself around Tabitha’s heart like a snake and squeezed tightly, a comfort more than anything that made her feel so cherished. Steve, oblivious to the inner workings of Tabitha simply walked past her, returning the tools and vacuum to wherever they came from. The man clearly had no clue what he did to Tabitha. “So, dinner?”

Tabitha had remained in the spot where Steve left her, her fingers tingling from the compliment as she smiled to herself and mulled over what she wanted for dinner. She was actually getting sick of all the fancy Restaurants with their tiny portions of food at overinflated prices. The only worthwhile thing about going out with Steve to such places was actually going out with Steve and spending time with him, she liked to get all dressed up for him to take her out. 

“I know what I want,” She announced with a wide smile as Steve walked back to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, looking down at her. “Chick-fil-A.”

“What’s that?”

“…Are you joking?” Tabitha looked up at Steve with a raised eyebrow. “Please don’t tell me you’re that disconnected from reality that you know nothing of Chick-fil-A. Also, it’s not even cheap fast food so it doesn’t count as peasant food so you can’t act above it. Sorry, Richie Rich. Actually, I can’t even call you that, because even he had a Mcdonalds in his mansion.”

Steve laughed loudly, leaning down to press a kiss against the corner of Tabitha’s mouth.

“I was joking, of course I know what it is.” He patted his stomach. “Back when I used to travel a lot it was hard to keep healthy at times so their grilled nuggets and salads kept me in shape.”

“You’re not funny.” Tabitha snorted and leaned forward to kiss Steve again.

“I’m hilarious,” Steve replied with a smirk. “And apparently, disconnected from reality?”

Tabitha felt a blush creep up on her cheeks and she tried to pull away, but Steve just laughed again and pulled her closer to his chest, cupping her chin and softly lifting it so she was making eye contact with him again.

“I’m sorry.” She pouted. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

“So why are you apologising then?” Steve said with a smile.

“Cause I don’t want to upset you or anything, Steve. I meant it like, you’re so used to your minions doing your bidding and you live all the way up in this glorious penthouse that you probably don’t even know how much a loaf of bread costs for the regular people in the world.”

“You’re right, to a certain extent.” He announced with ease. “The hardest times of my life are distant memories now and I’ve gotten used to living a certain way, I suppose.”

“You work hard and like nice things, boss man. I get it. Now, c’mon, I’m feeling to get a gallon of their lemonade so I can make a cocktail.”

Steve looked at the clock hanging in the kitchen and Tabitha rolled her eyes, resting her hand on his chest. Steve was way too prim and proper; it was actually endearing. If he was a dog, he would most definitely be a Golden Retriever.

“It’s not day drinking if it’s nearly 5pm anyway, c’mon old man Rogers. Be hip, for once!”

“These old age insults,” Steve said with a laugh, shaking his head. “Have you been talking to my friends?”

Tabitha smiled widely; her voice filled with enthusiasm.

“Do they all joke about how old you are? That’s perfect! I’m glad I’m not the only one who knows this fact. And on the subject of you being old…I added you on Instagram ages ago. You haven’t added me back!”

Steve raised an eyebrow as Tabitha pulled away and began typing on her phone.

“I don’t think I’ve ever used it, Tabs. I feel like I was probably railroaded into making it anyway.”

“Old man Rogers indeed.” Tabitha smirked as she pulled up a delivery menu and stood next to Steve, looking up as she flipped through the menu and added what she wanted to eat along with drinks before letting Steve choose what he wanted. “I got a gallon of lemonade and another of sweet tea, is there vodka in your fully stocked bar? Why am I even asking…of course there is, and it’s probably the super good stuff. Anyway, chop up some peaches, add it to the vodka lemonade, or vodka Arnold Palmer and you have one delicious cocktail my friend.”

“That sounds good,” Steve agreed as he ordered himself a wrap and a salad, placing the order before passing the phone back to Tabitha. “Should I grab the vodka?”

“Yes please!” 

Tabitha kissed Steve again before moving to the other side of the counter to wash and dice the peaches, humming to herself in domesticity as Steve disappeared and reappeared with a large, fancy frosted vodka bottle in his hand. 

The pair stood in the kitchen, Steve rattling on about the upcoming audits with his business as Tabitha chopped the fruit and offered no advise, she just listened. More often than not, people listened to respond as opposed to listening just to listen. It was something that she had learned in one of her first Uni Lectures from a psychotherapist and a piece of advice she had never forgotten.

“It sounds like a lot of extra work, Steve. It also couldn’t come at a worse time I think, seeing as you’ve had so much extra on your plate recently.” She said as she added ice cubes and the diced peaches to a large glass pitcher, ready for the alcohol and juice. “But I know you’re really organised which is half the battle done when it comes to audits and paper trails, right, so unless you’re doing some dodgy under-the-table dealings, I think you’ll be just fine.”

“I would never.” Steve said with a pout, and of course he wouldn’t. Steve seemed like the type of man who would be unable to sleep at night and suffer from indigestion if he ever cheated anyone. Tabitha pinched his cheeks as the intercom rang, signalling there was a delivery downstairs. “Food?” She asked hopefully.

“Most probably. I’ll go get it.” He said with a smile before pulling on a pair of slippers and stepping into the elevator. “Should we eat on the terrace?”

“Sounds good!”

Tabitha waved at Steve as the elevator doors shut and gathered the plates, cutlery and napkins and took them outside onto the balcony before walking back inside and grabbing some glasses and the pitcher, taking them outside too. She flicked on the controls to turn on the outdoor heater and waited patiently for Steve so the pair could dine together as they did most evenings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for all the comments and kudos. I love and appreciate you all.


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